Employers look for ‘focused’ answers when interviewing job candidates

Dear Kate & Dale: I’ve been interviewing, and I’m having trouble addressing the question “What are you looking for?” I want to say “A JOB!” but I know that’s not what they want to hear. – Virginia

Dale: Yes, you want to yell “a job” or “more money” or “shorter hours” or “a boss who doesn’t ask stupid questions.” However, on the other side of the desk, the question is a genuine one. A good employer wants to hire someone who matches the job in such a way as to find it fulfilling. It’s a good sign when you get asked.

Kate: Nothing turns off a hiring manager more than candidates who don’t know what they want. The worst answer is “I’m not sure.” Nearly as deadly is a generality like “I’m looking for a job that excites me.” This amounts to telling the interviewer that he or she is going to have to do the work of figuring out what motivates you. You shouldn’t be interviewing if you’re not focused.

Dale: Well, Virginia, Kate’s right, and that pretty much eliminates any generic answer. Sure, you could say, “A chance to learn and grow,” but if you want to score points – and never forget that you’re playing against other competitors, and a neutral score isn’t going to win the job – you’ll have to be in the interview for a reason beyond that of everyone else’s. Here’s a sample: “I believe I’m ready to head a bigger department, and I’ve been yearning to do more international work. When I studied the best companies in the region, you were on the top of my list. I think we are perfect for each other.” When Kate says you should be “focused,” she means that you should know a great job when you see one and should be able to explain that to an interviewer.

¢ Dear Kate & Dale: I am a former educator. I am currently in sales with a mom-and-pop services company. I want to earn more by working for a bigger company, BUT I have a felony conviction for disseminating inappropriate material to a minor over the Internet. I have made it through to the last stages of interviews and even had two offer letters rescinded after the background check. Is there any way you could help me so that I don’t waste time interviewing with a company that won’t hire me because of this scarlet letter? – John

Kate: The head of human resources at a large company said to me: “We have so many applicants that we would never hire someone with a criminal conviction. Why should we take the chance?” Moreover, the larger the company, the more likely it is to do background checks. So the large corporations may be out of your reach. And they might always be out of reach. We had one client with terrific credentials who was hired by a large firm, and then fired after a few weeks when they learned of a conviction when he was young. However, you don’t really need to work for one of the giant firms when there are plenty of small to midsized companies where you can make as much. Even so, you won’t know which ones will do checks and which won’t. You just have to try. Some doors will open to you, and others will slam shut; the only way to know is to try a lot of doors.

Dale: And if enough slam shut, you might consider going a different direction and becoming a self-employed, independent sales rep. One of the joys of free-market capitalism is that companies buy value … period. Just think about all those executives who brag about their high standards for employees yet have rushed to outsource their products. There are even companies that would never hire a ex-con to be an employee, but that gladly outsource work to prison labor. So if you get frustrated and believe that the employee game is stacked against you, it’s time to switch games.