3 Job Search Horror Stories With - How To Avoid Them

My reference got the job!

The vast majority of recruiters are bound by a code of ethics that prevents them from acting in such a way as to use confidential information you provide to find a better candidate for a role. I find this to be especially true of highly successful recruiters and often retained recruiters. They realize there is no need to be “slimy.” Their skill, knowledge and network are their superpowers. 

Two suggestions for preventing this from happening to you:

1. Unless you know and trust the receiving recruiter, do not give them access to information (especially Personally Identifiable Information like SSN, DOB, etc) without first having an interview or even better a job offer. Leave the PPI and reference questions blank if the ATS will allow it.

2. Better still is to not apply online when you do not know where the info is going. While most employers use applications to eliminate less-than-desirable candidates, the true purpose of an application is to obtain the legally necessary information to put you on payroll. They do not need the information until they are ready to make an offer.

To  put this advice into practice, is to network into the interview. By doing so, you will have knowledge of the organization and some people in it. You can use your gut to decide if you want to work there and can trust the people to treat the information appropriately.

You don’t know who is watching and when. Best behavior always.

I remember in my younger days as a salesman running late for an appointment in NYC on a miserable rainy day. Getting onto the elevator I, dripping wet and harried, rudely pushed the gentleman in front of me in so I could make it before the doors closed. It was a funny coincidence when we got off on the same floor, a little surprising when we entered the same corporate offices. I was shocked and embarrassed when five minutes later he came out and introduced himself as the prospect I would be selling too! In a related way, a SHRM survey shows that as many as 47% of interviewers will ask the receptionist or security personnel for their impressions of you when you go for the in-person interview! We just never know who has influence over the decision maker.

To ensure you don’t fail this interview test, make sure you are on your best behavior from the moment you arrive on property until after you leave the property. Assume the interview has a window looking out to the parking lot and sees you drive through the lot (a client told me she lost the job driving like it was a NASCAR race in the parking lot). As a hiring manager, I have personally denied candidates who treated the front office staff poorly. Professionalism and courtesy are paramount at all times.

Be prepared before accepting the conversation

So often clients share that they were caught off guard by the employer and felt their performance lacked because of it. In one case, the client arranged, prepared, and arrived ready for an informational networking meeting with a potential hiring manager early in her job search. She was not ready for an interview. How often have you taken a phone call while shopping or otherwise not in a professional space and it turned out to be the employer? Very common today, I am hearing from clients they are being asked about salary very early in the interview process.

In all these scenarios, the candidate was not prepared for what they were presented with. Of course, the simple advice is, “You need to be prepared for all options.” But that is just not realistic in all cases. A simple solution is to defer a response until you are prepared. For the unexpected interview, explain politely your expectation and agenda for the meeting and ask to schedule a second conversation for the interview. 

I am of the generation that when the phone rings you need to answer it in less than 3 rings to be professional. But, if you are not in an appropriate space (headspace, location, or situation) to have a confident, confidential, and professional business conversation, let the call go to voicemail. Get into an appropriate space quickly and call the employer back apologizing for missing the call (No explanation need!). 

For the salary conversation, do what you can to defer and deflect. Put off the answer as long as possible to gather as much intelligence as you can. Hopefully your answer can wait for when they make the offer. Better yet, talk to your coach about specific strategies to use for the likely situation you will be confronted with. A good coach should have some ideas of what you should expect in the interview process based on their experience with others.

Bonus Horror – The scent allergy!

A woman came for an interview for an insides sales position where I worked. She stepped into our office suite and the manager leapt from his desk, closed his door and asked us to send her away to reschedule the interview. That was all he needed to get a faint whiff of her perfume. Great first impression on an interview – to cause a medical emergency for your potential boss!

Today, the number of people who are highly sensitive and allergic to a variety scents, foods, and more is increasing. We all need to be more aware of these things. I recommend my clients to use unscented products for bathing, hygiene, and laundering. If you have eaten anything before the interview, upon arrival (if not before) go the restroom, wash up and check your appearance (always a good practice anyway), then announce yourself to the front desk or receptionist.

The job search is not a simple nor easy enterprise. To be successful it requires preparation, skill, knowledge, training, and a strategic approach. By putting in the time and energy to do it right and well, you will actually find a job faster and likely enjoy the new role much more. Let’s all make this Halloween not just safe for the trick-or-treaters, but fruitful for your job search too!