How to FAIL an Interview!

When interviewing candidates for a position, I like to get the candidate to tell me about experiences that speak to the goals that I have for the open position. This is the easiest way to weed out people that can't speak to their own personal contributions within the roles that they've played.

It amazes me on regular basis when I tell someone about an objective/goal that I have for the open position and a timeframe that I want it completed, and they can't come up with concrete examples of how they've achieved something similar. They will speak in generalities and will become silent when I ask them specifically what contribution they individually made in the effort that they are discussing. Suddenly, they look like a dear in headlights and stare back at me - then begin to tell me what the team did. STOP!

You know what - I really don't care what the team did (ok, I do, to give context). But I really want to know what you did. What obstacles did you personally experience? How did you overcome those obstacles? What disagreements did you have? How did you solve the disagreements? What did you learn? If you could go back in time, what would you do different?

Some candidates who are entry level look at me and tell me they haven’t done anything yet.  Yes, you have.  What team assignments did you have in school?  How did you solve problems between team members?  Don’t tell me there weren’t any problems, there always are.  Were you able to deliver something unexpected in the piece of the project you were responsible for? 

If you didn’t have any team assignments, than think about whatever jobs you’ve had.  Be it a cook at a restaurant, a server, a lifeguard – think about how you provided service.  Where did you go above and beyond in the expected job to be noticed by your supervisor?  If it was a volunteer activity – tell me about it.  Were there experiences you had during the volunteer experience that show your passion for doing something?  Where you needed to get something done and someone or something was in the way – how did you get around it?

Let's be honest, I'm taking a few hours to make a critical decision that will allow the team to succeed, or that could potentially cause the team to fail. This is not an inexpensive decision - when I bring a person on board, I'm going to lose some productivity within the team as others bring the new team member up to speed. I need to have the highest degree of assurance through a short interview process to make the decision that this person will fit in with the team and be a contributor.

If you're not willing to understand what the goals and objectives of the job are and can't speak to specific experiences that you've had that can contribute to achieving those goals, you will not get picked. In fact, if I see the pattern, I'm going to find a way to end the conversation and move on to the next candidate.
 
Prior to an interview, take time to reflect on the contributions you make to the team you’re part of and be willing and able to talk about that during the interview. In other words ... take time to prepare!

If you'd like more information on my background: LinkedIn Profile