Job Search Gone Bad – What not to do
We spend so much time reading, writing and hearing about how to “find the job for you”, what you need to do and how to do it right. What about when it goes wrong? How do you recover from the bad interview or some other horror story? Or what about that dream job that was not all it was cracked up to be? We all make mistakes and we’ve all had the “hindsight is 20-20″ moment when we think about what we should have done. I know that I’ve been on interviews where I just don’t know what went wrong. The flip side, of coures, is where you are the hiring manager. Remember what you didn’t like about what some candidates did (or didn’t do) on an interview – are you sure you don’t do this? This post will focus on some tips for those times when maybe you weren’t at your best.
- Interview gone very bad? You can recover – This article, from BCjobs, discusses how to recover from a bad interview (running late, couldn’t answer a question, etc.). There is a paragraph for each mishap along with what to do to set it straight. Most of the advice is about how to avoid or mitigate the cirumstances related to the bad interview. The article also has embedded links to additional advise (such as interview basics and interview brainteasers).
- A True Tale of a Case Interview Gone Bad – This article, hardly a bed time story, is provided by Quintcareers. So why do you want to read this? Well for one, it’s sometimes nice to know that you are not the only one who has stuff go wrong at the wrong time. Second, you may actually learn something (and there are lessons to be learned at the bottom of the article). And while I’m sure that you are always the best prepared for your interview, I somehow doubt that you will know the answer to “How much does a Boeing 757 weigh?” Of course, if you do, you probably have too much time on your hands.
- Dream Jobs Gone Bad – This article, by Manifest Your Potential, reviews the five reasons why dream jobs “go bad”. If this has every happened to you, you are likely to recognize some of these just from your own experiences. The article provides additional links (like “five aspects of work you love” and “recipe for the perfect work”. The last reason, which I think tends to be the most common, is that the job you signed up for is not the one you actually got. At the bottom of the article are additional related links. Worth a read.
- Top 10 Interview Blunders – About.com offers some advice on what you shouldn’t do on an interview. Some seem fairly basic and some are a matter of taste (as in dress appropriately – you would be surprised as to what some people think this means). Overall, these are things you should know so it is definitely worth a read. In some cases, such as “don’t talk too much”, you may not actually know you are talking too much (and you are probably not likely to get this feedback). What makes it even more difficult is the next piece of advice which is “don’t talk enough”.
- Here are 35 Things To Avoid At Your Job Interview – I wouldn’t have thought that there were 35 things to avoid in a job interview, but after reading this list from Business School Edge I can see why the list is so long. Some of the 35 items are very good advice (like, don’t forget to send a thank you letter). But don’t “Bring your cute little dog on the interview”? If someone has to be told this, I’m not sure the other 34 tips will help (and my dog’s not that cute anyway). Many of the tips are good, several are a bit of a stretch. Although there are certainly times I feel like drinking alcohol after an interview, if I need to be told not to drink it during an interview I don’t think that being unemployed is my biggest issue. And, you will certainly have trouble with “don’t turn in a messy application” if you don’t follow “don’t bring your breakfast, lunch or dinner”. In any event, some of these are certainly helpful.
Good luck in your search.
