I recently heard a story about a job candidate that was asked to leave a job interview before the interview even began. Apparently the candidate bad mouthed the company in the reception area by casually mentioning that they didn’t have a desire to work there. When the interviewer caught wind of this, they asked the candidate to leave, because they didn’t want to waste their time on a candidate that wasn’t interested in the job.
So what can we learn from this?
Be positive.
Don’t speak negatively about the company you’re about to meet with or the company you just came from. In most cases, the receptionist and the interviewer don’t know you and will be making assumptions about your personality and seemingly negative attitude.
Be on your best behavior.
As soon as you enter the office of the company you’re interviewing with, the interview has begun, so act professionally. The way you interact with the employees, other candidates, even the delivery guy, matters.
Be the bigger person.
If the interviewer says something negative about the job or the organization, don’t agree with them. Just because you might concur—it doesn’t mean they’re going to hire you. Find a way to spin their negative comment into an opportunity.
Ever made a mistake during the interview process and want to know how to resolve it? Share it with us in the comments below.
If one has no desire to work for a particular firm; why would you waste your own time, money and effort initiating a candidacy for such a position with such a company? Makes no sense to waste not only your time, but also the time of those reading your correspondence as well as those making follow-up phone calls, e-mails and so on. Move onto a position in which you have a desire to obtain, and the skills to perform. It simply makes no sense to waster your own time as well as everyone else’s involved in this hiring process. Move on to one that is more productive.
A lot of job hunting sites advise that you should do “practice” interviews for jobs you might not necessarily want, just to get experience. Could be that this was the situation, but the candidate didn’t realize that you’re “on” the minute you step in the door (Sometimes even before that. Years ago I chatted with someone else who was walking in from the parking lot at the same time. Turned out it was the boss, and I was hired twenty minutes later).
What if a person is so nervous, that they either talked too much or feel like they shared too much of them selves after the interview. And now waiting for ‘The Call’ of whether they really got the job or not? Is there a way to ‘Fix’ the situation?
Patricia, if they talked too much during the interview and feel like it didn’t go well. They can attempt to real it back in by sending a thoughtful thank you note. In the note they should discuss why they’d be a good fit for the job and how they could help the company grow.
Had an person come for an interview for a maintenance job at a hazardous waste incinerator. On the way in from the gate he told the person escorting him in that he wouldn’t shave off his beard to wear a respirator, didn’t like working outside (almost everything was outside), didn’t like working with hazardous materials. The escort just turned him around and escorted him back to the gate.
As someone laid off from a 20 yr + career, I have something to add. It is unfortunate when someone wastes not only their time but also the time given for an interview. Hard to get employed at 50+, and the reasons we give ourselves for not winning the position may not be accurate. I walk into an interview with not only the job goals in mind but also the needs of my family. I have a nut to cover, one created by the rewards of the career I’ve been laid off from, and there is that internal angst compounded by the modernizing of your skill set that undermines your confidence. While a recent graduate may be up to date on current apps and processes, I believe that they are not equal to tried and true experience. Grads are smart and understand conceptual situations and the over 50 workforce has the experience and problem solving developed by real situation problem solving.
It is a shame that the people in charge of hiring in this country seldom know anything about the job they are hiring for. Human resources people need to judge people by their’ work history and intelligence level, and not by how pretty they are or how many facebook friends they have. The boss should have a clue about how to perform the task he is hiring for. This country is doomed economically, because we only hire good talkers. Social media is turning us into a bunch of idiots who do not know how to do anything but socialize. Why is a man who has five thousand facebook friends whom he will never meet better than a man who uses the internet to find info instead of socializing. Why does a man who lays in a tanning bed have more opportunity than a man who gets a natural tan from being outside. True men are no longer respected. Wake up America! Take your eyes off of your smartphone for two seconds and look at what is happening!!!!