Some Job Candidates Play Interview Suicide
By Kevin Smith© Pasadena Star-News, March 11, 2006
Most of us work hard to make a good impression during a job interview.
Resumes are prepped, clothes pressed and background research performed on the company in question - all with the intention of landing the job.
However, a recent survey by Accountemps, a temporary staffing company for accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals, suggests that some applicants unknowingly sabotage the process.
Accountemps' national survey included responses from 150 senior executives with the nation's largest companies.
When executives were asked about the most inappropriate thing a candidate has done during a job interview, the responses were surprising.
Consider these behaviors:
"One candidate cursed during the interview."
"An applicant stated that there was nothing I could tell him he didn't already know. He said he knew everything about our business."
"A person argued that the requirements for hiring were wrong - and then fell asleep."
"One candidate was 25 minutes late for his interview and was upset with me for being annoyed by his tardiness."
"The person invited me out for a drink after the interview."
Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of "Managing Your Career For Dummies," advises job candidates to be prepared when interviewing for jobs.
"Job seekers should take a moment to compose their thoughts before they speak and focus their comments on the specific knowledge and experience they can bring to the position," Messmer said. "Interviews provide an opportunity for employers to become more acquainted with applicants. Hiring managers are looking for candor, professionalism and a glimpse into the candidate's personality."
Gary Kaplan, president of Gary Kaplan & Associates, an executive search firm based in Pasadena, said first impressions at job interviews are crucial.
"I have a saying that image is everything," Kaplan said. "That sounds like a shallow statement, but you don't get to demonstrate your capability and competitiveness unless you can get past that initial first perception."
Kaplan's two other favorite expressions are, "What must they be thinking?" and "Do they live in a house without mirrors?"
"Some people will show up for an interview in casual clothes," he said. "They assume that because many businesses tend to be casual, it's OK. But unless you've been directed to do so, that is an incorrect assumption."
Kaplan, who primarily places people into mid-level and upper-level executive slots, said applicants can further hurt their chances of being hired by over dousing themselves in perfume or cologne.
"Sometimes you can barely keep from gagging when you interview them," he said.
So in the end, common sense would seem to prevail.
"It's incomprehensible to me that you can achieve a certain level in life and still not be able to make an appropriate first impression," Kaplan said. "Incomprehensible."
