Don’t Say This (well, these) in an Interview

So… frankly, I think there are a ton of things that are worse than Careerbuilder.com’s “8 Worst Things to Say in an Interview” but I’d have to agree you want to steer clear of this list.  For example, I’d put insulting your interviewer’s intelligence waaay above quoting Shakespeare.  Seriously.  We had a candidate come through for a QA interview (and, yes, I think I’ve abused this person here before).  When the QA Manager asked her where she saw herself in a couple of years, she told him “As a software engineer - I’m far too cerebral for QA”.  Not good.

Also, (sidetrack): if you’re picking at a scab on your face (Yup!  I hate my job sometimes) during an interview, and it starts to bleed, don’t expect to get a sales job with me.  I’m not putting you in front of my customers. 

Surviving (hell, _killing_) the Technical Intereview

Mikhail Naganov has written a handy post for engineers who are stressing out about interviewing.  He’s spot-on when he says:

“what are the staffing needs in smart companies? They want people that can tackle complex problems in new problem areas. They want people that are responsible and passionate about their work. And, of course, they want people that can explain their solutions to colleagues.”

We’re going to grill you when you come through, but it’s not like we expect you to solve all of our problems correctly - if you do that, expect an offer before you leave (unless you’re a jerk - we have a policy against hiring those…)

One more resource I’d point you at (hat tip to Mikhail) - Steve Yegge’s poston interviewing at Google.  Worth a gander or two… That said, very funny counterpoint to Steve’s raving about Google culture can be found here (hat to William Wechtenhiser for that one).

How to Ace a Job Interview

Employment Digest has just put up a great post on how to ace a job interview - and, as a bonus, how to be an ace in your current position.  Good stuff.

How to Get Noticed (or, “giant aspirins! flip-flops! tattoo cd’s!! oh, my…”)

So, I’ve been in the corporate recruiting gig for what, almost 2 years now?  I used to sit on the other side of the fence, with some agencies.  I have my share of war stories from those days (ask me about Fish Jacket someday).  That said, things are weirder from this side of the phone.

I started a folder, called “little folder of horrors”, shortly after I got here, where I’d toss the most bizarre applications and atrocious cover letters.  Like, the one from the guy who wrote his in texting format (”if U R interested, plz…”).  But, once I started receiving packages, it became “little box of horrors”.  Now, it’s “big cabinet”.  Oi, freaking, vey.

So, wanted to draw your attention to a fine line - the one between “hey, clever approach!”, and “what the f - call animal control, i think this thing’s still alive!”.

Last week, I got flip flops.  I didn’t buy ‘em, and they weren’t from a female friend.  Nope, some guy decided that the best way to apply for our not open (filled in October of ‘07 by this rock star), Director of MarComm position was to mail in some footwear.  Not just any footwear, but brown, Target brand flip flops, size 10.  (I take a 12, if you’re thinking of sending me shoes - and, I’d prefer Thom Browne, or Cole Haan.  Just sayin’)

So, why flip-flops? Personally I think they were a re-gift.  Somebody gave him a crappy pair of shoes, and he thought “hey, I can try and twist this into a clever way to get a job at ZoomInfo!”  Here’s his copy:

Here’s a pair of flip-flops.  Put them on. Take a deep breath. (if I’d put them on, it would have been more like an inhale of pain, but I digress) Think of blah blah blah…  Your search for a VP of Marketing ends here (really?? I thought we were looking for a Director?  And, I think the search ended 7 months ago, buddy?)

This is a very in-your-face approach (sure, that’s one way to spin mailing footwear) but one that got your attention and provided me an opportunity to present my case.  Isn’t that what marketing is all about - creating an opportunity? (Yup!  An opportunity to go to the very top of the Little Cabinet of Horrors - lucky you!!)

Later, he says:In the past I got bored easily so I changed jobs a lot . Oh, that’s not good…

In any event, this guy didn’t get a call.  But… this guy (heretofore known as Aspirin Boy) did.  In fact, he got 2 rounds, and it was a tough call on our end not to hire him.

One day, I got a box.  It wasn’t ticking, swathed in duct tape, from my wife, or snarling, so I figured it was safe.  When I opened it, there was a giant aspirin (about a half foot across and a 1 inch deep) made out of some kind of ceramic, along with a cover letter.  It was from this kid, who wanted to move out of his first job and was interested in us.  Here’s a sample:

Hello Martin

You’re probably wondering why you just received a giant aspirin in the mail.

Over the past few months I’ve been debating whether or not to take the next step in my career path.  During that time I’ve been able to read quite a few of your blog posts.  This giant aspirin, in particular, is for the next poorly put together cover letter and resume that comes across your desk.  I hope mine isn’t one of them.

So, you’re asking, what the hell’s the difference?  Simple - Flip Flopper had _years_ of marketing experience (at, not to mention, a lot of companies).  Apirin Boy was barely out of college, and still had better approach.   He displayed great marketing instinct (despite the fact that  he approached us for a sales role).  Strong enough that even though we had just filled out last sales role, we brought him in to talk to him about a product marketing position we were toying with.  In the end, the role was revised, and we couldn’t hire him, but we wanted to.  If he’d just sent in a generic cover letter with resume, I would have let him know that the sales hiring was on hold - but, he put himself out there and got a chance.  I still stay in touch with him - he’s a great, great guy - and last I heard, he was looking into more product marketing or straight marketing roles thanks to this little interaction.

That’s all for now - just had to vent about the flip flops….

Hilarious Interview Mistakes

Jennifer Tortorella’s one of the best agency recruiters I know (seriously - if you don’t believe me, just ask her :)  She’s good, and a great partner/ vendor to ZoomInfo.  Her latest post drew my attention to CareerBuilder’s annual interview mistakes survey - sad, but true stuff.  I’d add in the guy who, when I walked out to greet him, was on his laptop.  Not a big deal, but when I said “Hi [name removed to avoid lawyers], I’m Martin Burns, nice to meet you,” he glanced up, raised his finger to let me know he needed a minute, then went back to typing… When he was done playing Scrabulous (or whatever), I sat him in a conference room and went to grab the first interviewer - within those 2 minutes, he had plugged his network into a data line in the office, and gone on-line to do some surfing….

One more - that same day (honest), we had another candidate in for a QA role.  When the QA Manager asked her where she saw herself in a few years (standard softball question with a hidden edge), she answered “As a software engineer - I’m too cerebral for QA.”

Needless to say, not exactly people we chased after….