Why do some clearly qualified job seekers fail to impress in job interviews? In my 20+ years of recruiting, the most frustrating experience has been with candidates who are referred to me as top notch (or perhaps I’ve interviewed them before and know their potential) but they flame out during the hiring process. The candidate can clearly do the job, yet the feedback from the hiring manager comes back that the candidate is not a fit. Smart, well-meaning job seekers often don’t interview well, especially when they haven’t looked for a job in a while. Here are three real-life examples of job seekers who undersold their qualifications in a job interview and how you can avoid the same mistakes:
The Disorganized Candidate
I conducted a mock interview of an experienced HR generalist. Her resume was hard-to-follow so I suspected her interview technique might have the same problem. (A resume is a good indicator of how you organize because it lays out your experience, skills and chronology.) Sure enough, her interview was all over the place – I did this, I did that, then I did this other thing, then I went over here. There was no theme (e.g., across all of my jobs here is my unique expertise), no clear transitions (e.g., here’s why I made these moves and choices) and no structure (e.g., for each role here’s what my mandate was and what I accomplished). Her interview sounded like she was saying whatever she remembered about her experiences in the moment, rather than guiding me through a preset plan.
The fix? I don’t want you to sound like a robot but you do need to prepare. If you don’t decide in advance what the important items are that the interviewer should remember, you’ll just inundate them with too much detail and come across as disorganized, not experienced. (And check your resume for readability. If it’s confusing, your career story is probably confusing!)
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The Overly General Candidate
On the flip side, I interviewed an experienced marketer who didn’t say much of anything. Rather than too much detail, there was no detail, only subjective generalizations – e.g., I’m a problem solver, I innovate, I add value. The interview felt like a PowerPoint presentation had come to life. As we debriefed after the interview, I asked why he hadn’t shared all the rich details of his experience. I could see from his resume that he generated some significant results from his marketing programs. He also had extensive experience with different technologies. He countered that he didn’t want to lose me in the minutiae. Quantifiable results, tangible wins, and technology specifics are not minutiae – they are the meat of your experience!
The fix? Sure, you don’t want to lose your interviewer in a sea of information. But when that information backs up what you know and have accomplished, the interviewer wants and needs those details. Be aware of when you make a subjective claim (e.g., I add value) and have an example to back it up (e.g., I improved leads to our sales force by 50%).
The Candidate Who Closed Out Herself
I once interviewed a communications professional who had changed careers so her industry and functional range was quite diverse. I asked her for an example of a media plan, and she demurred that she hadn’t ever constructed one, so we moved on to other aspects of the job. As we debriefed after the interview, and I pointed to a consulting assignment on her resume where she clearly and successfully developed a comprehensive media and PR strategy. Yes, she agreed, but that was consulting, not in-house (our mock interview was for an in-house role) and she was actually not brought on to do the media plan but added that outside scope because it was clearly needed. In her effort to hew so closely to the job description, she essentially negotiated herself out of that job.
The fix? If the employer asks for a media plan, tell them when you’ve done a media plan – even if it was for a different type of company, or a volunteer assignment, or something you might not feel is 100% relevant. Give examples and proof of skills as close as possible to the job you’re interviewing for, but where it’s not an exact match (e.g., consulting v. in-house let the employer decide if they want to downgrade the experience. Make them close you out – don’t do it to yourself.
If I were recruiting for jobs that required these candidates’ skill sets, I would present any of the above three. But based on the interview technique I saw for each of them, I suspect they would get closed out. Strong candidates, but weak interview skills. Luckily, interview skills can be learned. They can also improve with practice. Therefore, if you’re stymied in your job search results to date, take a long hard look at your interview technique. Are you all over the place? Are you all fluff, no details? Are you censoring yourself unnecessarily? How are you underselling your qualifications?
