Have you ever made this interviewing mistake?
One Common Interviewing Mistake
My phone rang. Colin was exasperated. “Karin, I thought I NAILED the interview. The owner seemed pleased with all my answers, and I had great stories for all his behavior-based interview questions. But I just got an email from him saying that although I was qualified, he was worried about my passion for training!!! You KNOW how passionate I am about training– it’s my life! I was energetic throughout the whole process. Where could this have gone wrong?”
I had an inkling, but probed further. Sure enough, Colin had made a frequent and well-intentioned interviewing mistake that so often tank a solid interview.
He appeared desperate.
When asked if the training job was not available if he would be willing take a call center manager job for a few years. Wanting to appear flexible and interested in learning the business he said, “sure.”
A similar problem plagued Joe, a Director level succession planning candidate who came to me for coaching.
He had applied for several VP jobs: VP of Care, VP of Sales, VP of Marketing and always made the last round, but never got the job.
When I conducted interviews with key stakeholders to get underneath what was going on, everyone had a similar taste in their mouth about Joe.”He doesn’t seem to know what he really wants to do–besides have the title VP behind his name. When he interviewed for the care job, he gushed about how passionate he is about customer service, and how this is his dream job. He almost had me convinced, until I heard he was equally zealous about the sales role. We need a leader with a passion for the role, not just a passion for power.”
Yikes.
4 Ways to Let Your Passion For the Position Shine Through
Of course, you want to appear flexible in an interview. But too much flexibility makes you look desperate–like the guy working his way down the bar trying to land a date. “I’ll settle for this one” doesn’t make you an attractive match.
- Know What You Really Want
This might sound really obvious, but trust me, I’ve asked “Why do you want this job?” in so many interviews–and it’s a surprising stumper. If “to make more money” or to “be promoted” is the answer, even if you say something different, any interviewer worth their salt will see right through. Know why this job matters to you and be able to articulate your reasoning well. - Have a Plan
It’s perfectly possible that you’re equally qualified for several positions. Before starting LGL, I made a career of dramatic cross-functional moves within Verizon, but I didn’t apply for them all at the same time. If you are highly interested in several roles, be able to explain the strategic value holding each of these positions now (or later) will help you contribute now, and in the future to the company. If you’re interviewing externally and your answer to “Where else are you applying?” looks as random as the fruit on a slot machine, you had better find a way to connect the dots. - Do Your Homework
The key is to really do your homework and be able to explain why your skill sets add the most value for THIS job at THIS company. You can’t do that without really knowing what THIS job and THIS company is all about. Not doing your homework is one of the biggest interviewing mistakes and is often caused when you’re spreading your job search too thin. - Be Authentic, But Have a Filter
I had another millennial call me to tell me he was in jeopardy of not getting a role because of how he answered the question “Where do you want to be in 15 years?” Well, the fact that he wanted to own his own business in 15 years was TMI (too much information) at this point for his interviewer who got all worried about “loyalty.” The sad part was, this guy WAS TOTALLY PREPARED to work there for 10 years. “Well, I’m not sure about 15 years, that’s a long time. But I would love to talk more about what the next decade could look like for our partnership.” Authentic AND intriguing.
There’s nothing more frustrating than watching the good guys lose the opportunity because of a communication breakdown. Avoid this common mistake and let your passion for the position shine through.
See Also: Fast Company: How to Recover From These Common Interviewing Blunders
Great points, Karin. I’ve interviewed tons of candidates and when I hear, “I’ll do whatever” or “I’m a jack of all trades” I wonder who they want to be and what they love vs what they can do. Especially with more senior positions, the headaches are 10 fold. It’s beyond executing the work and if it’s not in your sweet spot, burnout is just about guaranteed.
When I finally got promoted to VP, it was my dream job (on paper) doing work I loved and adored. One of the reasons I was the right candidate was because my experience matched the job description and I could honestly say there was no work I’d rather be doing.
Alli
Alli, Thanks so much as always for sharing your experiences. I too have found it’s so important to understand what you want and why you want it.
I really like how you encourage your readers to be authentic, but have a filter. So much emphasis on authenticity these days and that is good, but when interviewing always keep your audience in mind! Great advice…
Great advice and insight to hearing about what is so often happening behind the curtains and most of us don’t know about.
Excellent list.All points are very powerful and must be remembered.
Zafarmanzoor, Sr.Executive, Pakistan.