You’ve probably read numerous articles on the do’s and don’ts of being interviewed. There are thousands of articles circulating on a regular basis that provide guidance, advice, tips, and tricks to job seekers. And no doubt, interviewing can be nerve-racking for candidates. Most people don’t have to do it regularly or often which means most people aren’t going to be good at it. Some people can manage an interview well enough but there are some people who are just colossally bad at it.
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Penny Horton | June 1, 2018
As an interviewer, I expect that most interviewees will be nervous and potentially unskilled so I take that into consideration during the conversation (depending on the level of the position, of course). I also recognize some individuals, in an attempt to make a great first impression, will do things, with the best of intentions, like overstate their abilities or give you answers they think you want to hear. As a skilled interviewer, it is my job to ask enough probing questions, in the right manner, to truly understand a candidate’s actual skill set and experiences.
My advice to a candidate is, of course, to always be honest, give yourself the proper credit for your accomplishments and carefully frame your answers so that you are putting your best foot forward without misleading the interviewer or over-exaggerating your accomplishments.
Obviously, not all candidates practice that guidance. Here are just a few of my favorite examples of candidates who took things to the extreme.
The MIA Candidate
I was interviewing for a human resources manager position and Rebecca arrived for her interview, barely on time. I greeted Rebecca in the front lobby of the building and proceeded to escort her to the conference room. She seemed out of breath and a little frazzled so I asked her if she was able to find the location easily. She stated to me that she had found the building but did not know necessarily where to park so she parked on the road (not in our parking lot) and hoped her vehicle would be okay where she left it.
As we made it into the conference room she asked me if I knew how long the interview would take as she was concerned because she had left her current job, without telling anyone that she was leaving, and wanted to ensure she could get back on time without anyone missing her.
Needless to say, I cut the interview short, graciously allowing Rebecca the ability to retrieve her car and return to work, hopefully before anyone missed her!
The Mechanically Dis-inclined Candidate
Steve was interviewing for a manufacturing position that required the successful candidate be adept at using hand tools, power tools and air tools to tear down, assemble and repair fairly complex components. While the position did not require previous experience with the exact components of the company, it did require general mechanical ability. Often times we screened for individuals who had performed tasks such as repairing lawn mowers, working on cars, rebuilding equipment, building things with their hands and the like.
Steve had a list of skills outlined on his resume which included “hand tools”. I asked Steve to describe the type of experience he had using hand tools. He bragged about his ability to use all sorts of hand tools and when I asked him to be more specific, he stated he could use a putty knife and screwdriver.
As you can imagine, I didn’t recommend Steve for the job based on his lack of experience.
The Resume Ghost Writer Candidate
George came in for an interview for a shop floor position. He had a resume that met all of the qualifications for the position including education, experiences and skill set. The first few minutes of the interview went well; George was pleasant, respectful and eager. By the time we got to the second or third question though George seemed to be having trouble articulating exactly the things he had done that were outlined on his resume. After getting flustered George finally made a confession and admitted that he hadn’t done any of those things on his resume. Someone else had written his resume for him.
Despite his attempt to convince me that he actually had desirable qualities and should be considered as a candidate, I ended the interview and wished him the best of luck finding alternate employment.
The Unfashionably Late Candidate
Larry was interviewing with myself and co-worker for a managerial position. I knew he was traveling in from another state by car to attend the interview so we provided Larry with pretty detailed instructions on how to get to the office and scheduled the interview mid-morning to accommodate the 1 1/2 hour drive.
Larry finally arrived for the interview about 30 or so minutes late. Since I had time blocked on the calendar already, I agreed to see him so I could at least hear the reason (I always try to give interviewees the benefit of the doubt) for the delay. As we made it to the conference room Larry explained. He had left that morning in plenty of time to arrive but about halfway there realized he had made a mistake. Larry decided to turn around to go get the suit jacket he had forgotten at home. By the time he had doubled back, he was late.
It was a decidedly short interview and hopefully, Larry heeds the advice we gave him; arriving with a dress shirt and tie, minus the suit coat, would have been a much better impression than arriving late!
The Parent Trap Candidate
Billy made it through the interview process successfully. His resume had the right skills, experiences, and qualifications. He articulated his answers well and knew his stuff. He showed up for work on his first day on time and eager to learn. The first few days were all hands-on training. Billy jumped right in but it became blatantly obvious over the course of the week that Billy was clueless about the techniques and applications being shown. To the instructors, this was highly suspect since his resume and credentials indicated that he was highly skilled.
Throughout the week during casual conversation one of the instructors learned that Billy was an identical twin. And by the end of the week, it had become blatantly clear what had transpired. Billy’s brother was the one who had attended the interview. He had presented himself as Billy to help his brother get the job. Unfortunately though since Billy wasn’t able to master the skills and pass the initial training, he was let go.
While some of these may seem absurd, surprising or even downright ridiculous, they are all true examples.
Interviewing isn’t a skill that comes naturally for most of us. As with any other skill that needs to be developed, you have to prepare, practice and seek coaching or training in order to grow. In my experience, I’ve found most job seekers don’t take the time to invest in building this skill. Although they definitely should! If an employer offers to provide outplacement services to you, I highly recommend you take advantage of them! Having someone else help you craft your message, practice your delivery and prepare your presentation is highly valuable.
At the end of the day, an interview only gives employers a very brief view of the candidate. With the costs of hiring, a low unemployment rate and so much riding on the line, employers can ill afford a waste of valuable time, resources, and money on making a bad hiring decision.
Reality Check
Candidates:
- Is your resume factual and flattering?
- Have you practiced your interview responses?
- Are you prepared to answer tough questions?
- Do you know the kinds of questions you need to ask a potential employer?
Employers:
- Are your interviewers skilled in behavioral and situational based interviewing techniques?
- Do your interviewers know how to ask the right kind of probing questions?
- Are you utilizing assessments, tests or some other demonstrated abilities review to confirm an employee’s skills?
- Do your interviewers know how to read body language, watch for non-verbal cues and know all of the red flags to look for during an interview?
If you answered NO to any of the questions above or have other questions and concerns about interviews, Who’s Your HR? can help! I’m happy to answer questions, provide coaching, training, templates, and tools or even create customized solutions to help you get hired or make wise hiring decisions.
Who’s Your HR? is available to assist you with HR consulting, contract or project work. Please review the Solutions and Service page or find my contact information in the menu to the left of this article.
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