Saturday, February 13, 2010

formspring.me (what not to do in an interview)

Can you describe the worst interview you've ever conducted?

I imagine that you're asking this question so that you know best "what not to do" during an interview. So, I'll describe the worst interview and then give you some lessons to remember along with it.

The worst interview was with a gentleman that had been unemployed for sometime. Because of his situation, he had created two resumes - one for entry-level positions and the second for more advanced positions. He was interviewing for a fairly entry-level position and, clearly, forgot which resume he was referencing in the interview. As well, a defined requirement for the position was advanced Excel skills and he rated himself as a 9 out of 10. He definitely was not a 9 out of 10 as he had, quite possibly, the lowest Excel scores of anyone I've given the test to. On top of that, a large part of my job as a recruiter is to weed out those candidates that will not fill it with the culture of the organization. Not only did I feel that he would not fit in with the culture, at one point, I became very uncomfortable sitting in the room alone with him.

So, what lessons should you take away from this story? 1) Although, I recommend customizing your resume to the job, there is no need to down-play or over-indulge your skill set, 2) There is a big difference between being confident and proud of the work you've done compared to being cocky and over-exaggerating, 3) Be honest, and 4) Be yourself.

Ask me anything

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