JOB INTERVIEWS: BE TRUTHFUL. BUT BE SMART!
Suzie was upset after
her third job interview with a bank.
The interviewer had frowned after Suzie
had flippantly criticized her current
boss. Then, to make things worse, she'd
spoken carelessly about a mistake she'd
made on an important project.
Job interviews often turn
into disasters when candidates forget
to treat them as marketing opportunities.
Remember, they are not therapy sessions
in which to bare intimate secrets. Nor
are they a courtroom; you're not sworn
to tell the whole truth.
This DOES NOT mean that
you should lie in interviews. Besides
being unethical, lying changes the nature
of the conversation. You'll be uncomfortable,
fearing that you'll be found out, and
the interviewer is likely to feel that
something's not right about you.
Instead, tell the truth
-- intelligently. Since you have only
a short time to make an impression,
plan carefully what you'd like to communicate.
What information puts you in the best
light? What is better withheld? Be prepared,
so that under the stress of the interview,
you don't find that you've left your
common sense in the reception area.
Don’t criticize
or blame.
Suzie works for a jerk,
and she wants out. By all accounts,
the guy is awful. But, justified as
Suzie might feel when she calls her
boss a snarling, sniveling, contemptible
knave, she should never criticize him
in an interview. Employers will think, "If
she's criticizing her current boss,
how long will it be before she starts
criticizing me?"
Keep the personal
stuff to yourself.
Sharing parts of your
private life can make you a more human
and attractive candidate. It can also
cause you problems. Jane, for example,
decides to move cross-country to rekindle
a romance with an old high school flame
she saw at her reunion. She fears that
employers will think that she's flighty.
Well, Jane doesn't have to create negative issues for herself. Employers don't
have to know. She might simply say, "I used to live here, I like the city,
and I decided to move back." Every word of it is true. Employers won't
know the rest unless Jane tells. Don't do it, Jane!
Put the best spin
on the facts.
Brian quit his job and
spent a relaxing summer at the beach,
doing volunteer work, and deciding about
his next move. He fears that employers
will think he's not serious about his
work.
Brian should tell employers
he had been working really hard, decided
to take time off to plan his next career
move, and had some great experiences
with his volunteer work. Again, no lies,
and no need to mention the beach.
Sometimes straight
ahead is the only way.
Chances are, the blemishes
on your record are not as tough as the
one in this next example. Joel couldn't
hide his past, and couldn't even hope
that it wouldn't come up. He decided
that he needed to start with a powerful
discussion of the truth. It went like
this:
"There's something
I want to bring up. I was convicted
of dealing drugs five years ago, and
served three years in prison. During
the entire ordeal, I worked to keep
my family together, and succeeded. I
used the sentence to study, reflect,
and focus myself on what's most important
in life, and am clearer now about what
really matters. I know the consequences
of being out of integrity, and believe
in being 100% honest in all transactions
and communications. So, I have a question:
Is there anything in this job that might
demand an association with anything
illegal? If so, we don't have a match.
If not, you'll need to judge whether
you're willing to hire me despite my
past. I regret it, but cannot change
it."
Joel's story demonstrates
that even the most negative blotch on
your resume can be transformed into
a potent "lesson learned."
Copyright © 2004,
Peter J. Miller, d/b/a Cobblestone
Consulting. All rights reserved.
