What went wrong in your interview
Candidates can be their own worst enemy in an interview.
Jack is working a job that he loves. The problem is that the culture where Jack works is toxic. Hours are long, expectations are higher than achievable, and he knows one thing — he needs to start looking to get out of Dodge. He got an interview with a company that is right in his industry. It was extra exciting that he could see himself really enjoying the work that he’d be able to do there. After all, the company has a strong reputation.
The day comes that Jack has his first interview. He presents his skills well, but he falls into one bad interviewing habit — He continuously badmouths his current employer and job. The stress level there is too high and he’s looking to get into a job that is far less stressful. The hours there are long and he wants to make sure that he gets into a nice, laid-back company like X. After that interview, Jack feels great about how things went. After all, it’s important to make sure that you’re clear about your own expectations. This job, however, is such a great match!
Generally speaking, very few companies would consider their culture to be laid-back. After all, companies are in business to turn a profit. Having a lackadaisical attitude toward making money won’t make a company successful. I’ve never met a less than Type-A executive leader. That Type-A attitude can present in different ways, but be assured that even the most friendly, open leader is very concerned with the business at hand.
Work-Life Balance is a tricky topic. If it’s too big a focus, it can mean that a candidate is more interested in being able to take time off than perform at a high level. That’s a hiring manager’s worst nightmare. Asking about flexibility and balance is absolutely fine. Make sure that it’s not your biggest focus. Focus instead on the work. Many of us have worked for managers who didn’t understand the first thing about having a life outside of their work. Many of us bear the emotional scars of regular poor treatment at the hands of those managers. Move past it for the sake of your interviews.
Yes, you want to balance high-quality work along with time with friends and family. You may want flexibility in start/end hours because of the traffic on your commute. Be sure that you don’t misrepresent yourself by focusing on the negatives in your current position. Talk about what motivates you, what you’ve enjoyed (stretch assignments, ability to be able to log in at home and finish a bit of a project, ability to start at 7 AM and end at 4 PM in order to miss traffic). Make it about what you bring to the table and less about what you’re worried about.
Interviews are always about putting your best foot forward. Clear your head before your interview and make sure that you’re not focusing too heavily on the negatives in your current position.
I will leave you with wisdom put out into the Twitterverse by the very wise Larry Kim :
Easy to spot a yellow car when you are always thinking of a yellow car; Easy to spot opportunity when you are always thinking of opportunity; Easy to spot reasons to be mad when you are always thinking of being mad; You become what you constantly think about
