| If I were to ask you what you'd do if you were in an | | | | So if halfway through the interview, you learn it's not, |
| interview and knew, absolutely knew, that the job was | | | | then leave. Stand up, smile, and politely say, "Thank you |
| not for you, what would you say? Most job seekers | | | | very much for bringing me in, but I don't feel that we're |
| would say, "Finish the interview." But why would you | | | | really going to benefit each other. I appreciate your |
| continue when you know you don't want the job? | | | | taking the time to see me, and I'm sure you'll find |
| Would it stun you to know you could leave? | | | | someone who is just perfect for your company. " |
| If you know you don't want to travel, and suddenly you | | | | When do you do this? When you learn the |
| learn a fact not specified in the ad: the job involves | | | | environment is not what you want. For instance, you |
| more travel than is acceptable to you, there's no | | | | thrive on challenge and learning new information, and |
| reason to continue. If your interviewer is rude or | | | | you'll be doing repetitive tasks. You want to be trusted |
| patronizing and this is the person to whom you'd be | | | | to work at your own pace, but you find out that's it's |
| reporting, why submit yourself to it any further? | | | | an intensely competitive environment. You don't mind |
| One person I know was conducting her own job | | | | working with numbers as long as it's not the majority |
| search. Having passed the screening interview, she | | | | of the responsibilities, and you discover numbers are |
| was to meet with all four of the company's principles in | | | | 80% of the job. |
| the same afternoon. The first person was out of town. | | | | When a definite no, rears its head why waste |
| The second one was rude and insulting. The third one | | | | everyone's time? Especially yours? When you're in the |
| made her wait. She actually stayed to interview with | | | | middle of a phone interview, and the interviewer |
| the fourth! The time to leave was somewhere during - | | | | continually puts you on hold or calls you back to take a |
| or certainly after - meeting with the second person, the | | | | call, it's time to cut and run. "But it's a good position," |
| one who was insulting. Why they brought her back for | | | | you say. Maybe so. But what about your boss? If he's |
| these interviews is another subject entirely. | | | | like that on the interview, how accessible will he be |
| You can say almost anything, as long as you say it in | | | | when you work there? When he calls you into his |
| a calm, confident manner with a smile on your face. | | | | office to discuss your poor performance, is it your |
| People get into interviews and worry about whether | | | | problem or his that he was never available to answer |
| they'll pass muster when they should be, concurrently, | | | | your questions? |
| interviewing the company to see if it's the kind of place | | | | Know what you want. Know how to ask questions to |
| they want to be. And even when red flags pop up all | | | | find out if it's there or not. Learn how to read the |
| over the place, they still sit pretty, answering questions, | | | | signals and understand what's really going on below |
| hoping for the job. | | | | the surface. And learn how to walk away if you find |
| You need to do your homework before you start your | | | | something present that you know won't contribute to |
| search. You need to know what's important, what's | | | | your happiness and your perfect job. Finding that takes |
| not, and where you're willing to be flexible. Aside from | | | | focus. Finishing an interview that's going nowhere isn't |
| helping you to focus on what you're looking for, it | | | | focus. It's a waste of your time. |
| assists you in recognizing what you're not looking for. | | | | |