Having been out of college for a little bit of time now, I can definitely say I have seen some thangs when it comes to job hunting and interviews. And while I'd like to say that everyone has their ish together, chileeee, y'all don't know the half of it.
So when Reddit user ThatLazyBench (cute) asked, "Redditors in hiring positions: What small things immediately make you say no to the potential employee? Why?" I just knew I needed to see what people were saying and share the good word with you guys. 13 things you should not do if you want that job, puhleaseee:
1. When you Google your interview answers:
"For phone/Skype interviews: Don't Google every question I ask you to get the 'right' answer. It's a dead giveaway when after every question there's 10 seconds of umming, and then you give a textbook answer. You'll be surprised how often this happens."
2. When you dismiss the person actually talking to you for a power play:
"When the interviewee ignores the person who asked the question and instead talks to the person they think has the most power in the room. This has happened in entry-level positions, but I also helped interview for a position that would be working at my same level, as a partner. My manager told me the decision was ultimately up to me. I had a man come in and he wouldn't look at me, didn't shake my hand, and every time I asked a question, he looked to my manager for approval. Yeah...no. I don't want to work with a guy who has no respect for me."
3. When you show up late and don't even own up to it:
"Showing up late for an interview already puts you in the hole. Not addressing it or apologizing for it will make it complete. Turn a negative into a positive and show you have accountability. Not addressing it shows you don't have respect for me and my time."
4. When you talk bad about your past employers:
"Yeah, one guy basically said, 'I dunno, I think the pay would be nice, I guess.' Same guy, different gem: When I asked why he had seven jobs in the past two years he was like, 'All those guys were assholes, man.'"
5. When you admit your ~true~ intentions for a role to the hiring manager:
"We were looking for engineers, and we had this guy apply. He had a pretty sizable amount of relevant experience to the job, despite being a fresh graduate. I offered him the assistant production engineer based on his credentials alone. He looked at me with a disgusted face, like I had insulted him. I asked him what was wrong, and he replied, 'Nothing really. It seems like a pretty good position, but I want something better, because I can clearly see you are impressed by my résumé.'
I asked him what his preferred position would be. He immediately answered that he wanted a supervisory position, like the general production manager. I asked him why he wanted such a position. His reply? 'Seems like one of those jobs where I can sit in the office and play games on my phone all day without having to actually do anything.' Never tell your potential employer you just want to sit on your ass all day and do nothing."
6. When you don't utilize your resources:
"If you want an 'in' with a company, don’t always go straight to the top. Maybe reach out to a lower-level employee and learn from them and get tips. I always take a look at candidates referred to me by internal employees, no matter how high they rank in the company."
7. When you lie on your résumé (because it's coming back to haunt you):
"If you put it on your résumé, I'm going to ask you about it. So don't add filler."
8. When you don't check your spelling:
"Check your grammar and punctuation over and over. Correspondence via emails should be professional too. It’s not a time to use shorthand, like you would in a text message to friends. Bad grammar in emails usually catches my attention right away (in a negative way)."
9. When you treat people like s**t:
"I didn't do the hiring, but one minor responsibility was accepting applications. The hiring manager ALWAYS listened to the other managers' initial impressions of the applicants. So many applications were thrown out of the stack without ever being considered because the applicant didn't think anyone mattered but the person that made the final decision. I even had one lady come in and basically tell us that she would definitely be hired and that she planned on 'cleaning up our act.' We had a good laugh with the hiring manager before tossing her app in the trash."
10. When you act like you're better than the person hiring you:
"I once had a guy spend the entire interview explaining to me why we were literally doing everything wrong. He was just finishing up his bachelor's degree and had no practical experience. I'm hiring because my business is successful and growing, not because I need some college kid to come in and use his vast knowledge to turn things around.
I'm totally open to new ideas and new gear, but you need to show that you're someone whose opinion I should trust. For me, that trust is going to grow over months of you proving yourself, not an interview where you're implying I'm an idiot."
11. When you say what you are not...even if that's a requirement of the job:
"'I’m not a big computer or email person.' Get the f**k out and don’t come back. This is an office job in 2019."
12. When you embellish your résumé with nonsense:
"For job applications, like dating profiles, a little embellishment is expected to make yourself look good, and most people can read between the lines. I once had a dude, when writing down his responsibilities at his previous job, put a bunch of things like 'used whisk, spatula, and other kitchen utensils to circulate sauces and ingredients to bring all food to adequate cooking temperature when being prepared.' It was ALL written like that. This guy supposedly had like five-plus years' experience, and best he could give me was a fancy way of saying he stirred s**t."
13. And of course, when your phone etiquette really needs some work:
"I received a text message response to a voicemail I left responding to an application saying, 'Hey, I’m at the Steelers game so I obviously don’t want to talk about a job today. How’s Monday looking for you? I’m available 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.' I didn’t even respond.
I called an applicant who answered, 'Who is this? F**k you want?' and I went on to inform him I had wanted to talk about an application but never mind. He proceeded to tell me I was a 'lying bitch' and that my area code on his caller ID said I was in a different city and he’s no idiot. Literally the neighboring area code."
So the small things? I won’t hire total assholes.
