On job interviews and applications

This post stems from an ongoing discussion I've been having with my brother. He recently upgraded his job to the tune of $12K per year - in this economy.

I, of course, found myself unemployed due to no fault of my own at the end of last year. After securing a job in March, I am on pace to earn more in 9.5 months this year than I did in 12 months last year (though laid off, they paid us through the end of the year).

Some observations we've had on potential jobs & interviews:

1. Not all advertisements are real jobs.
- Some companies advertise jobs just to satisfy HR folks when they've already made up their minds to promote an internal candidate.
- Some companies are just 'fishing' to see if their pay is on par with the market.
- Some companies actually change their minds about filling/creating a position mid-search.
- Some companies are just plain lying about there being an opening.

2. Some jobs advertised have unrealistic expectations.
- Some companies are trying to get a desperate candidate who might do the same job for 25% less.
- Some companies actually think they can get a person with exactly the same experience... for 30% less than market value. They fail to see the similarity in relevant experience. These companies wind up hiring the last halfway-decent interviewee, as they get tired or desperate after a long search.
- Some companies want a candidate to do the role of two or three (or more) former employees.

3. Not all interviewers actually know about the job.
- Pre-screeners often are not the sharpest knives in the drawer.
- Many preliminary interviewers do not understand the position, nor do they understand what kind of candidate would fit the position best.
- Many hiring managers are great managers / workers, but horrible interviewers.
- Many candidates mistakenly assume that the person conducting the interview actually is an intelligent individual. This is only rarely the case.

4. Many interviewers don't know how to interview people.
- Most hiring influences play silly games, instead of focusing on the candidate and their skills.
- Many hiring managers look more at subtle "hints" than they look at big bold facts about the candidate's ability to perform the tasks needed.
- Very few people use behavioral interviews (the best kind of interview one can conduct for any position) and even fewer actually know how to use them.
- Few interviewers have a goal in mind for the interview. With one exception:
- Many interviewers' only goal is to find fault with a candidate to disqualify them.

5. Many hiring influences are not good communicators.
- Many fear that a turned-down candidate will act weird (it does happen, but rarely).
- Many hide behind little sayings, or corporate psycho-babble, to parley their message.
- Email / snail mail is the most often used method to turn down a candidate.
- Most interviewers let you know when you are their top choice.
- Nobody has a poker face. You can read their intents very easily.


6. Very few interviewers are honest in face-to-face situations.
- Sometimes they lie about the job itself.
- Sometimes they lie about their intentions.
- Often, they hide behind a lie, because they are not good communicators.


How to handle these situations:
1. Realize that you need to put in 20 resumes (or more) to land a single face-to-face interview.
2. Be honest. Even when they can't be honest, or won't be honest.
3. Research the job a little. Know how your skills mesh with what they want.
4. Over-communicate a few simple reasons as to what makes you qualified to do the job.
5. Over-communicate how you have done almost exactly what they will need a candidate to do. Tie EVERYTHING you say back to how it will help them directly.
6. Be prepared for canned interview questions, and for the behavioral interview.
7. Always dress in either a suit (sales, high level positions), or business casual (blue-collar, IT, and most non-sales and non-executive positions).

What not to do:
1. Don't fidget.
2. Don't touch your face too much.
3. Don't cross your arms.
4. Don't lean back, nor slouch. Do sit up straight, or lean slightly forward.
5. Don't bee too expressive with your hands. Do be expressive with your face.
6. Don't fail to ask a few questions about the business. Do ask a few simple questions.
7. Don't speak too quickly. Do take your time, and speak clearly.

Email me if you want resume or specific interview tips. I've got a lot of them that actually work.

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Post - edit: 9/7/2010
From my brother, here are a few observations he's made. He was recently in the job-searching mode for an IT job.

He claims many employers are taking the "American Idol" approach: scrutinize for the negative-
- Over-scrutinizing candidates from the outset.
- Looking for any one thing that should keep the candidate from getting hired.
- Focusing on looking at the negatives of the candidate.
- Getting exhausted and finally hiring the best candidate from the last 4 or 5, just so they don't have to interview folks any more.
- "Best candidate" from the last 4 or 5 is often not really the best of the group - just somebody they liked better for some unquantifiable reason.

Of course, this tactic - which I've seen more and more of lately - is counter-productive to the hiring of a good fit. But, these companies will find that out soon enough.

My brother can list a dozen companies in the Nashville area that he interviewed with several months ago that took the "American Idol" approach and hired other candidates. Each of them is posting the same job now, again. Only six to ten months later.