Guest Article: Mistakes not to make in interviews - Strange but true?

author: Kevin Foley (Boston-area biotech)

We surveyed top personnel executives of 100 major American corporations and asked for stories of unusual behavior by job applicants.

The lowlights:
1.Said he was so well-qualified [that] if he didn't get the job, it would prove that the company's management was incompetent.
2.Stretched out on the floor to fill out the job application.
3.Brought her large dog to the interview.
4.Chewed bubble gum and constantly blew bubbles.
5.Candidate kept giggling through serious interview.
6.She wore a Walkman and said she could listen to me and the music at the same time.
7.Balding candidate abruptly excused himself. Returned to office a few minutes later, wearing a hairpiece.
8.Applicant challenged interviewer to arm wrestle.
9.Asked to see interviewer's resume to see if the personnel executive was qualified to judge the candidate.
10.Announced she hadn't had lunch and proceeded to eat a hamburger and French fries in the interviewer's office.
11.Without saying a word, candidate stood up and walked out during the middle of the interview.
12.Man wore jogging suit to interview for position as financial vice president.
13.Said if he were hired, he would demonstrate his loyalty by having the corporate logo tattooed on his forearm.
14.Interrupted to phone his therapist for advice on answering specific interview questions.
15.Wouldn't get out of the chair until I would hire him. I had to call the police.
16.When I asked him about his hobbies, he stood up and started tap dancing around my office.
17.Had a little pinball game and challenged me to play with him.
18.Bounced up and down on my carpet and told me I must be highly thought of by the company because I was given such a thick carpet.
19.Took a brush out of my purse, brushed his hair and left.
20.Pulled out a Polaroid camera and snapped a flash picture of me. Said he collected photos of everyone who interviewed him.
21.Candidate asked me if I would put on a suit jacket to insure that the offer was formal.
22.Said he wasn't interested because the position paid too much.
23.While I was on a long-distance phone call, the applicant took out a copy of Penthouse, and looked through the photos only, stopping longest at the centerfold.
24.During the interview, an alarm clock went off from the candidate's brief case. He took it out, shut it off, apologized and said he had to leave for another interview.
25.A telephone call came in for the job applicant. It was from his wife. His side of the conversation went like this: "Which company? When do l start? What's the salary?" I said, "l assume you're not interested in conducting the interview any further." He promptly responded, "I am as long as you'll pay me more. "I didn't hire him, but later found out there was no other job offer. It was a scam to get a higher offer.
26.An applicant came in wearing only one shoe. She explained that the other shoe was stolen off her foot in the bus.
27.His briefcase opened when he picked it up and the contents spilled, revealing ladies' undergarments and assorted makeup and perfume.
28.He came to the interview riding a motorbike and left it in the reception area. He didn't want it to get stolen, and stated that he would require indoor parking for the motorbike.
29.He took off his right shoe and sock, removed a medicated foot powder and dusted it on the foot and in the shoe. While he was putting back the shoe and sock, he mentioned that he had to use the powder four times a day, and this was the time.
30.Candidate said he really didn't want to get a job, but the unemployment office needed proof that he was looking for one.
31.He whistled when the interviewer was talking.
32.Asked who the lovely babe was, pointing to the picture on my desk. When I said it was my wife, he asked if she was home now and wanted my phone number. I called security.
33.She vomited on my desk, and immediately started asking questions about the job, like nothing had happened.
34.Pointing to a black case he carried into my office, he said that if he was not hired, the bomb would go off. Disbelieving, I began to state why he would never be hired and that I was going to call the police. He then reached down to the case, flipped a switch and ran. No one was injured, but I did need to get a new desk.
35.Asked if I wanted some cocaine before starting the interview.

12 Ways to Retain ‘Swing’ Talents in Your Organization

In my previous article, I wrote about ‘Customer Loyalty and Retention’ and brought to our attention a group of Customer’s known as the ‘Swing’ group. These are customers who stick around your business only because you happen to be the best alternative at the moment until they find a better alternative. This makes this group if customers valuable yet un-retainable in the long run.

Here, I would like to bring forward also the concept of ‘Swing’ Talents. To begin, there are two groups of Talent who are staying with you now: Loyal and Swing.

Loyal are those Talented employees who stick around your company either due to the job, the boss or the company’s mission/business/image. The moment any of these three does not seem right, they will start leaving.

On the other hand, Swing Employees who are Loyal to you because you happen to be the “Best alternative at the current moment until I find another alternative” situation. In other words, these are key talents who are ready to leave any moment no matter what you do to enrich their jobs or to give them a good boss. You are simply not their permanent choice.

Why then do they stay? Swing Talents are ‘loyal’ because:
1. Individual Relationships with people in the company
2. Convenience (at that point in time)
3. Contractually tied-up
4. Exciting Direct Incentives
5. No better alternatives in the market yet
6. Subordinates whom they love and love them back
7. No known alternatives in the market yet
8. CV friendly

OK then. What can we do? Well, other than pray and hope, I can only think of 12 ways:
1. Over Promote
2. Loans
3. Spot Bonuses
4. Block recruiters
5. The Spouse (and their Children, if possible)
6. Toys (e.g. iPODs, MACs, MP3s, 22” LCD Screens etc.)
7. Glorified Titles
8. Forced Ambassador
9. “Position” the competition
10. Sell the Dream
11. Give them a Best Friend
12. Appoint them as Internal Trainers

In other words, try to do some of these 12 things and hope for the best. At least you can say you have tried.

-TURD-