Self Importance

I never understood this but it seems a lot of people screw up interviews by being self important.  Here's an article to prove it.  http://www.careerjournal.com/columnists/manageyourcareer/20060802-managingyourcareer.html?cjpartner=mktw

Let's take a look at a few things that canditates do wrong.

Leave an interview because the interviewer is late.  Seems in the example a human resource canditate (hmmm) got ticked off when the future boss was late and the canditate went home mad.  Hey, stuff happens.  In fact, a canditate can use this to their advantage.  The interviewer will fell bad about, or should feel bad about, being late and give you a break in the interview.  Plus, what is the hurry?  I always planned interviews for the afternoon or took the whole day off.  Never know when you are going to be stuck in traffic or somebody is going to be late.  Make the interview the last thing or only thing for the day.

Always act like a guest.  Pretty good advice.  Be on your best behavior, like the first time in somebody's house.  I was always looking around trying to figure out if these people looked happy or miserable or who was who.  As Yogi Berra said, you can learn a lot by looking around.

Some of these are kind of stupid or at least should be pretty evident up front.  Escorted to a partner's office doorway, you march right in -- even though he's engrossed in a confidential call. Bad idea. Wait outside until he finishes.  I think most people would figure this out on their own.

The receptionist notices whether you read your National Enquirer rather than her employer's annual report. She may also keep tabs on your hygiene habits. Ms. Vell once worked for a small Boston search firm where the receptionist alerted partners if candidates using the guest bathroom failed to wash their hands. (She could hear the faucet.)  This is a bit of a stretch but does back up one thing you should be learning by now--do what you mom told you.  Mom told you to wash your hands so do it--you might get a job.

You chat briefly, repeatedly peeking at your BlackBerry. Another dumb move. Twice in the past six months, aspiring vice presidents have pulled out these email devices during interviews with Dean Bare, a managing partner of recruiters Stanton Chase International in Atlanta. "It's time to turn that off," he sternly told them. I don't own a Blackberry, I don't even have a cell phone so this won't happen to me.  I have to believe that most readers would be smart enough to leave all that junk in the car.  No interruptions.  I believe that a lot of people check those things to look important.  When I see it I think they can't manage their time or their people.

You also lose credibility if you are late for interviews with hiring managers -- or leave too soon. A well-qualified executive committed both blunders when he sought a roughly $450,000 post at a global entertainment concern.

He arrived early for his 1 p.m. appointment with the head of human resources. He asked to use a conference room to make an important call. It lasted until 1:15. He didn't apologize to the HR executive about the delay. Following their abbreviated session, she was ready to take him to his 2 p.m. session with the finance chief.

That didn't happen on time either. "I have a 2 p.m. conference call I have to get on," the potential recruit announced, ducking back into the conference room. The call took 40 minutes. After finishing his second delayed interview, he refused to meet again with the human-resources chief because he needed to catch a flight.

The prospect's boorish behavior struck company and search-firm officials as a fatal red flag. "We said, 'This person has a real strong etiquette and judgment problem,' " recollects David W. Gallagher, a managing director for Boyden Global Executive Search in Atlanta.

This person not only had an etiquette and judgement problem, this person had a stupidity problem. 

He suspects many ill-mannered job seekers suffer from a similar, excessive sense of self-importance. "If you're going to interview for a job, interview 100%," Mr. Gallagher advises. "Put everything else out of your mind."

Not bad advice.  I like the advice about being a guest better.  Actually, I went into every interview wanting to get an offer.  Even if was going to turn it down, I wanted that offer because it was a competition and I wanted to win.  You don't win by being self important.  You win by being your best.

Comments

[Paulette]

You have got to be kidding! It's OK for the interviewer to be late? But the one interviewed must be on time! Not only does an unapologetic potential employee who shows up late show what kind of person he/she is, but so does the potential employer. Who wants to work for someone like that? Stuff happens? That doesn't fly as an excuse for the job searcher, so neither does it for the employer!