We take great pride in the services we provide to human resource professionals and hiring managers. All Victoria James Executive Search recruiters are industry experts. We make sure our efforts are aligned with the goals of our client organizations, becoming a strategic extension of their team and acting on their behalf to find the best talent available.
We vet our job candidates too, of course, making sure Victoria James Executive Search is the right fit for their career objectives while making sure their qualifications and motivations are the best fit for our client organizations and hiring managers.
We get it right 99.9% of the time.
You see, sometimes job candidates have a mind of their own.
They wind up saying things they never meant to say.
We’ve all been there—all of us were all job interviewers at least once before getting the job we have today!
Looking for a job can be stressful. The outcome can impact our lives and egos. Nerves can take over, and job candidates sometimes forget that employers want to fill a position as much as they want to be the one to fill it. They forget the business pain behind the employment vacancy that the organization needs to solve.
Here are the top three craziest things we’ve heard in job interviews. Use this as a mental checklist—a boundary of where not to go in a job interview.
- Cell Phone Gaffe: A candidate is discussing his candidacy with a hiring manager when the candidate’s cell phone rings. He answers the call without getting up to excuse himself, listens for a minute and then thanks the caller. He ends the cell phone call and tells the interviewer: “That was someone calling me about another job interview.” Wow. Really? Do yourself a favor, don’t be that guy: Turn your cell phone off before the interview.
- People-Person: This is for real, folks—you can’t make this stuff up: An individual applying for a customer-service job is asked what he might not like about the job, and responds, ‘Dealing with people.'” Think before answering your interviewer. (Source: Robert Half Technology)
- Dog-Friendly Workplace? A CEO trying to fill a mid-level position ushers in the next candidate, and a golden retriever accompanies him into the office. They start the interview anyway, and the dog lies down under the table, not bothering anybody. Eventually, the CEO has to say something…he can’t take it anymore. He likes the candidate and the interview has been otherwise normal, so he bursts out, not angrily, but very curiously, “Why did you think it was normal to bring your dog to an interview?” The candidate replies, “My dog? I thought it was your dog! I wanted to ask you the same question!” Turns out the dog had been out for loiter and decided on a whim to traipse through an open door.
What Are You Searching For?
If you’ve worked with Victoria James Executive Search before, you already know how to avoid these gaffes. You know you’ll be equipped with a strategic understanding of the business needs of the organization and hiring manager with whom you’ll interview. From this position of strength, you’ll have your best chance of achieving a favorable outcome.
Give us a call today at 203.750.8838 if you’d like to chat.
All Victoria James Executive Search recruiters have a proven track record of senior-level placements at Fortune 500 firms as well as start-ups. We look forward to hearing from you.
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Smile! We leave with the following superb job-interviewing tip guaranteed to land your next job with style
from the folks over at The Poke in the UK (try these at your own risk):
Know the interviewer’s name and use it during the interview.
If you’re not sure what it is, call them “Jobsy” or “Jobbo”.
