…exhausting and stupid
I get so tired of having to remind, even the most professional candidates, about the little things in their dress and mannerisms that will kill an interview before you get started… here are most of them:
Perfume, cologne, any kind of smell… including body odor, bad breath (…you may not know you have it), if you smoke, dip or chew…you stink (so get one suit for interviews and don’t smoke while wearing it…also give up smoking in your car while you are finding a job…the stench gets on your clothes) {yes! we have had dozens of candidates over the past few years who were not hired because they smoked…btw, that is perfectly legal}, dandruff, dirty hair, hair in the face, facial hair, especially beards (i don’t care if your wife or girl friend thinks it looks good on you, or that you have had it for umpteen years…grow it back after you get hired), five o’clock shadow facial stubble (that you think makes you look like Brad Pitt..btw, it makes you look stupid), toupees, beehive hairdo, butt cracks, baggy pants, cleavage, gold chains (for men){especially with that little gold nugget on it}, overwhelming jewelry (for women..long, dangling or big ringed earrings, gaudy, over done necklaces ), ridiculous hairstyles, dark glasses, gold or silver or diamond studs in ridiculous places, i.e. noses, lips, eyebrows, tongues etc., sunglasses, dark glasses that supposedly lighten up inside (but don’t), open collar shirts (for men) unbuttoned more than one time, loud colored shirts or blouses, sports coats, suits or dresses that are way too small, i.e. they were purchased 20 pounds ago, big watches, more than one conservative ring on the fingers, ($25,000 diamond rings on your finger communicate “I don’t have to work,”) black, dark red, or ridiculously colored finger nail polish… for both men and women… gun, golf, bird, dog, fish, animal or bright colored ties, untied tie, decals on the fingernails, thumb rings, tattoos, stomach protruding over the belt, no bra or revealing bra, sundresses, strapless dresses, ridiculously big belt buckles, tight pants or slacks, shorts, short skirts above the knee, tight skirts, no hose (for women), no socks for men, any kind or informal footwear, sandals, platform heels, boots..both men and women …even if it is cold or snowing…any color of business footwear other than black or dark brown, scuffed shoes, obviously old shoes, stockings with ridiculous patterns, socks with ridiculous patterns, short pants, anything other than a suit, casual cloths ..(some of us remember jumpsuits), lapel pins that might offend, political buttons.
Please don’t argue with me about this stuff…argue with yourself..if you don’t want to shave your beard for interviews, don’t..if you argue that “It is a part of me..and people shouldn’t care about that stuff”…fine…i’m trying to get you a damn job.
…so what’s wrong with the economy… why aren’t they hiring
I probably get asked this at least five or six times a week, if not daily. Why is there $47 billion in cash sitting on the “side line” that businesses don’t wish to spend…WAKE UP AMERICA! …the solution to the problem is pretty simple…
There are 7.5 million business establishments in the United States and they average 16 employees… we’re a nation of small businesses. In 2009, the average business owner in the United States made $259,000… that’s the average business… 3.75 million of them made more than 3.75 million; most of them made less…
For the most part, these business establishments offered healthcare to their employees. So now the government comes along and, if Obamacare survives, guarantees that my insurance rates will go up for my employees… don’t give me that garbage that my rates won’t change…they will…the day before yesterday, we were informed that the health insurance for our company… and we have a PEO so we are lumped in with 75,000 other people.. was going to go up 15% next year… after raising 20% last year.
If our present political administration stays in office, we have been told that the top half of those business owners… the ones earning above $259,000 are going to have their taxes increased… I’m not sure how much but I know they’re going to go up pretty drastically…
So here’s the deal…I’m scared… healthcare costs are going to go up for the 30 people in our company and my taxes are going to go up… and I don’t know by how much on either account… our controller is trying to get a better insurance program but it’s going to be hard because the average age of a person in our company is 54 years old… we are boomers…
Am I going to hire people?… maybe, but I’m going to be really, really, really careful about it… I’m not willing to take risks because the economics of my company are very uncertain…
If we change administrations in November, I’ll feel a lot better… until then, I’m going to be really careful… I won’t expand very much and I think just like the vast majority of those 7.5 million business owners…
As the threat of skyrocketing healthcare costs, regulation costs and taxes are in front of me, I’m reluctant to hire and expand… pretty simple…
The reason this is important for you to know is that, if you are a candidate and you are interviewing with the average business manager or owner in the United States this is exactly the way he or she is thinking… if you are going to be a valuable employee for them you need to convince them that you are a sure bet… that you are a perfect candidate… then you’re going to make them money and save them money and you’re going to do it very quickly… so the next time you go to an interview you know what that hiring authority is thinking and feeling… it’s pretty simple… and it’s pretty ugly…
Got it?
…James’ decision
Although James was surprised to receive an offer from the firm he got so pissed off about… who treated him rudely and left him hanging for at least a week… he turned it down.
Before he received the offer, he was interviewed by a very decisive client of ours. They spoke to him on the phone on a Thursday… the executive vice president flew to Dallas to see him the very next day… by Monday he had an interview with another executive vice president over the phone… Tuesday he had a demo of the product… Wednesday I checked his references and Friday they offer him a job.
The offers from both firms were not that different but the professional feeling James received from the second organization made all the difference in the world.
The truth is that a company that dragged the process on for so long is a very good one… the people are really quite good and the future with them would be bright. In spite of their quality, however, their interviewing process was just too long and convoluted. The company James went to work for was determined, decisive and expedient.
James did the right thing.
…remember James
From two weeks ago… he got so frustrated with the hiring folks at our client, who hadn’t been communicating with him… he got so pissed off, he really let them have it as to why they were inconsiderate and lousy managers…as well as a bad company.
Well, you won’t believe it… he actually got an offer from that same company today… the candidate they tried to hire ahead of James past the job up, so they called James… amazing!
It shows that truth is stranger than fiction and you can never out guess the nature of an organization when they need an excellent employee … and James is one… in spite of the fact he unloaded on them and apparently, by all standards, burned his bridge, he still got the job offer….it simply proves that when you are good..you are good…
Wonder if he’ll take the job?
….some things you just can’t control
Two separate situations came up this week for two of our candidates… I don’t really know how to keep this kind of thing from happening. Just being aware of it, however, might help.
The first situation came about when one of our candidates had a third interview. The hiring authority stated that they really liked the candidate, but he really didn’t ask very many inquisitive questions to show that he had done a lot of research about the company and service they provide. Upon asking the candidate about this… and the candidate is a very senior person with more than 20 years of experience…he said, “You know, the VP had been traveling all week and he barely made it into his office in time for the interview. He was frazzled, distracted, and obviously beat…I don’t think he was paying a bit of attention to what I was saying.”
A second candidate had a phone interview with the president of one of our client companies. The president was in an airport waiting to board a plane. Oh brother! The president gave feedback that the candidate seemed to be distracted and unfocused. Our candidate is very accomplished, successful and tremendously focused. It was obvious that the president was “projecting.”
It’s really hard to deal with these kinds of situations. Fortunately, the VP in the first situation agreed to interview the candidate again in a more calm, less hectic environment. The candidate is now in the final stages of the process and expecting an offer.
In the second situation, we were experienced and wise enough to encourage the President and the candidate to speak again and they’re doing that next week. Hopefully, it will go better.
Any good candidate has to get interviews when they can and none of us can dictate or predict the mood of the situation. The VP in the first situation admitted he was in no real mood to interview the candidate when he did and wasn’t surprised when he was reminded by our candidate what went on. No leader would admit to interview a finalist for a fairly important position on the phone while waiting to board a plane… but it happens.
The lesson is that if you wind up interviewing with an interviewing or hiring authority in rather difficult circumstances, be ready to be misunderstood or not heard at all. Be ready to suggest another meeting. Don’t hesitate to express the thought that the mood of the time just wasn’t right, even if you have to say that it wasn’t right for you.
…..james’ frustration
The frustration in looking for a job is immense… you go through a bunch of interviews and many of the people you speak with don’t have the courtesy to let you know how you stand even when they say they’ll get back to you. For the life of me, I don’t know how to help candidates become less frustrated… it’s kind of sad and it’s not a very nice way to treat someone…but hiring and interviewing authorities do it anyhow.
This week, our candidate James, who had been speaking with an organization for four weeks, made it to the finals of the interviewing process. One of the hiring authorities even told him he was their “number one” candidate and they told him they would be in touch with him in a few days. James waited and waited and waited. He emailed and called; then he emailed and called. He got absolutely no response. This went on for a whole week and James got more frustrated and madder.
In the middle of the second week, he had about all he could take and wrote a real ‘venting’ email to both the hiring authority and his boss. It was clear James was a very good candidate. He made it through four weeks of interviewing and outran nine or ten very qualified candidates. In the final analysis, James came in #2. While the hiring authority and his company were checking the references of their #1 candidate, they simply let James languish. Not very nice, but that’s what they did…( and this is one of those companies that is recognized nationally as one of the best companies in the country to work for…go figure).
They eventually told James he had come in #2 and they wanted to let him know that if anything came up in the near future they would call him. James lost his cool…I totally understand… and he told them to stuff it where the sun don’t shine in very explicit terms.
The best way to handle this would’ve been for James to be graceful and smart in spite of his frustration and anger. He was actually told he was the #1 candidate, but until you receive a job offer, you can’t bank on anything. Objectively, James knew that, but it didn’t keep him from going emotional.
Unfortunately, James has likely burned his bridge with the hiring authorities of this organization. I understand and empathize with him, but it’s not worth it. Somewhere down the line he may very well run into these guys and there’s simply no reason to tarnish your relationship that way.
Again, as I’ve preached before, if the candidate focuses on the process and is not too distracted by the result, it isn’t as likely that James would be as upset as he was and lose his cool.
I know this is easy to say and a lot harder to practice. Always be graceful, even if it’s hard. Don’t let your emotions get the best of you.
