Sales Candidates Don't Have a Monopoly on Dumb Interview Mistakes

On days when you're convinced that we live in a civil society, in a kind and empathetic world populated with intelligent and caring individuals brimming with common sense, click a Twitter link to “worst job interview mistakes”—or similar.

Guaranteed to make you chuckle, and ask incredulously, “people do that?”

No question that the nadir of interviewee stupidity has yet to be discovered. But I began to wonder whether interview gaffes are only committed by idiotic and socially-lame job seekers in the presence of polished and experienced hiring managers, or whether poor manners enter the mix from both sides.

Amazingly, my online searches turned up very little about the social indiscretions of interviewers. Unfortunate, because if you’re planning to hire salespeople, but possess the warmth and interpersonal skills of Dick Cheney, you won't find much help online. On the other hand, based on the 223,000 search results for “job interview mistakes,” job candidates have no excuse whatsoever for not being perfect.

To overcome the paucity of information about interview-er Don’t Do’s, I will share some Hall-of-Shame moments from my own experience.

I have met with sales interviewers who have:

• made disparaging remarks about a specific ethnic group
• worn jeans, t-shirt, and sandals to a sales interview
• handed me a trick pen that gave an electric shock to “see how I would respond”
• been 15 minutes late for a scheduled phone meeting, and interrupted the call three times to attend to other calls
• told me that they didn’t have time to read my resume in advance of the interview
• not known my name when the meeting started
• initiated the interview by going page-by-page through the company’s annual report
• not been able to name one leader they find inspiring

If you’ve read this far, I’m sure you have a few zany experiences of your own. Undoubtedly, some would make these seem like mere whining.

I have heard a few hiring managers attempt to justify their lack of courtesy or failure to prepare by saying that these situations simulate some of the stressors that regularly occur in selling situations. They reason that they want to understand how candidates might manage the call. This is garbage. There is never a positive purpose for inconsiderate behavior. It is as arrogant as it is ethically shaky.

For any social interaction, there are reciprocal expectations for courtesy and respect—or there should be! Interviewers have the added challenge of being ambassadors for their companies. An interviewer might feel entitled to ‘dis a candidate, but it’s risky, because his or her personal brand and corporate reputation are on the line. Social indiscretions—whether committed by interviewer or interviewee—carry the same powerful negative vibe as bad customer experience.

Never hand a sales candidate a trick pen. He or she might be a key influencer on your next make-or-break deal (or know someone who is!). Even with almost seven billion people living on the planet, the world is not that big.