Bracing for Difficult Interviews
By David Mezzapelle
We recently participated in a symposium on “Bracing for Difficult Interviews.” This event served job seekers across all industries during the tough employment market. Market research has determined that employers are using their “upper-hand” to take advantage job seekers especially during the interview process.
Our company takes a proactive stance on this topic. This applies to our employees & candidates as well as the job seekers we assist on our two sites. With that being said, here is what GoliathJobs and JobsOver50 offer in terms of advice for dealing with the issue:
-We recommend that candidates should contact the employer ahead of time and simply ask, “Is there any information I should have available prior to the interview next week? It is important to me that I am prepared or have the information ahead of time that may require research.” This is impressive and also helps to avoid surprises.
-If the candidate is blindsided with a tough question during the interview, honesty is the best policy. A safe answer could be “I understand your question but do not feel I can answer that properly at this time. I would appreciate the opportunity to respond to that within 24 hours.” Use that time to formulate a good response which can be included in your thank-you letter. We just hired a new girl for an office management position in Jupiter. She was stunned with a tough question. Her honest response, and ability to get back to us quickly with an answer, was one of the reasons we hired her.
-If the question or request is completely out of bounds than you need to state that in your thank-you letter without anger. An example could be, “I also wanted to get back to you with a response to your question. I do not feel it is pertinent to the job or my experience. Hopefully this does not affect your view of my capabilities but I do need to stand on my values. That attribute should be considered in the overall value that I can bring to your organization.”
-You do have rights if you feel strongly that the line of questioning was bordering illegal and caused your rejection. Prior to reporting the issue to the EEOC, send a letter to the head of Human Resources. That information can easily be found on the company’s website. If not, call the company for the name & address. Advise them that you are sending a post-interview letter and want to send a copy to the head of Human Resources. Give them 15 days to respond to your complaint. If nothing comes of it than file a complaint with the local EEOC office.
-Another point to consider is Your Future. If an interviewer poses a question that makes you uncomfortable, you need to ask yourself “Do I really want to work for a person or company like this?” Only you can answer that. Unfortunately, due to the state of the economy many candidates prefer to safely dodge these questions versus reacting in an negative way.
About GoliathJobs & JobsOver50:
GoliathJobs is a web-based healthcare employment service. We connect job seekers to healthcare employers via schools & alma maters. GoliathJobs creates partnerships with schools throughout North America which serve as liaisons. This model delivers a powerful edge to schools at no charge (and lifelong career services), a competitive edge to job seekers and high-quality results to healthcare employers. We believe that employment starts with education regardless of age, experience or educational level. 100% spam-free.
JobsOver50.com is a dedicated employment portal for baby boomers & retirees built on the same platform.
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