Outrageous and Common Mistakes Candidates Made in Job Interviews

According to a recent CareerBuilder survey, here are the most "Outrageous and Common Mistakes Candidates Made in Job Interviews."  (Read more here)

When asked for the most unusual blunders they'd encountered while interviewing candidates, hiring managers reported the following:

• Candidate wore a business suit with flip flops.
• Candidate asked if the interviewer wanted to meet for a drink after.
• Candidate had applied for an accounting job, yet said he was "bad at managing money."
• Candidate ate food in the employee break room after the interview.
• Candidate recited poetry.
• Candidate applying for a customer service job said "I don't really like working with people."
• Candidate had to go immediately to get his dog that had gotten loose in the parking lot.
• Candidate looked at the ceiling during the entire interview.
• Candidate used Dungeons and Dragons as an example of teamwork.
• Candidate filed fingernails.

In addition to the most unusual gaffes, employers shared the most common mistakes candidates made during an interview:

• Dressing inappropriately – 57 percent
• Appearing disinterested – 55 percent
• Speaking negatively about a current or previous employer – 52 percent
• Appearing arrogant – 51 percent
• Answering a cell phone or texting during the interview – 46 percent
• Not providing specific answers – 34 percent
• Not asking good questions – 34 percent

Baby-faced Black Men = More Acceptable in Corporate World

Maybe the singer Babyface was on to something when he decided to make a move in the R&B industry. 

According to a recent Newsweek article, if you're a Black man looking to move up the corporate ladder, you're in luck if you've got those chubby cheeks and non-threatening "baby face" look.   

Click here to check out the story: "Black CEOs and the Teddy Bear Effect"

Example A:

Kenneth Chenault, CEO of American Express

Example B:

Don Thompson, President and COO of McDonald's USA

World AIDS Day ... get tested today!

According to the latest CDC statistics, more than 10,000 people in the U.S. ages 34 and under were diagnosed with AIDS in 2007 alone. 

Fellow young professionals ... this is our demographic.

Please do yourself and all others a favor and get tested today.  Practice safe sex.  And encourage others to do the same.

With numerous free testing clinics in your area, there is no reason to not get tested. 

A lil something for the work-a-holics ...

It's been a while since I've written and that's actually a good thing.  Work and outside committments have picked up drastically at a time when I was scraping for billable hours! 

That brings me to the point of today's post: not getting lost in your work. 

With our permission, it's quite easy for work to consume every minute, hour and day of our time.  While we must of course remain committed to our jobs and tend to our career and professional development, we need balance. 

While this may be one of those things that are "easier said than done," think of it this way ... it's much easier to become so focused on work that you become anti-social and let your life pass you by.  If you're a true workaholic and that doesn't matter so much to you, then think about the looming possibility of becoming burnt out way too fast -- trying to make a comeback is a bi-atch!  (My new job started off as a sprint and a few months after that initial race, I was ready to crash!) 

Try to be a "smart worker" in addition to a hard worker.  In the bigger picture, it's more beneficial to be a well-rounded person -- both personally and professionally.  After all, what are going to fill those "chit chat" conversations with during lunch meetings? ... MORE talk about work?  Nah-uh. 

. 

Happy Employees = Happy Company

I've worked at several companies (of various industries) and for the first time, I am employed by a company that understands what it means to show appreciation to its employees.  I have a point to sharing this, by the way ... I'm not just rubbing it in.  :-)

After having worked at my current location, it no longer makes sense as to how a business can excuse itself from showing proper thanks and gratitude to its workers, yet still expect them to put 150+ percent of themselves into their job.

In the words of my CEO, "I want to keep my employees happy."  So simple and oh-so true.  Probably because ultimately, keeping us happy also keeps him happy. 

I'm not speaking solely of big, expensive gifts like end-of-year bonuses, although those are very nice ... but regular "worker treats."  For instance, having a stocked kitchen filled with food of your choice (free to all employees in case I need to spell it out).  Or, taking regular company outings (not forced) and going to places of your choice -- within reason.  "Flex time," where if you work overtime during certain days/weeks, you can take off early/not come in on others.  I know this is a "big, expensive gift," but if anyone has heard of Edelman, I've heard of crazy stories involving employees winning week-long trips overseas from a raffle prize!

Think of the company/employee relationship as being similar to a boyfriend/girlfriend or marriage relationship.  You are in this for the long run (hopefully) and you must not take the other for granted.  To ensure a healthy and mutually beneficial relationship, you must nurture your support system and continue building upon your relationship to ensure positive growth. 

So, as we all aspire to move into upper management, I encourage you to keep this in mind: keep your team/department/employees happy.  In addition to being a good leader, be sure to show your people regular thanks and appreciation, which will keep them working at their best and help them push their hardest, even at their worst moments. 

Understanding that nothing is certain ...

Yikes ... it's been almost a whole week since I've last written.

Well, here's some food for thought -- and no pun intended, as I was in a grocery store when my mind started racing. 

I was standing in line to check out when I noticed the woman in front of me having to put back more than half of her groceries because her debit/credit card transaction did not go through.  As she was of course quite embarrassed, she frantically tried to hurry up and apologized countless times for the inconvenience.  I sincerely wanted to help her out and offer to pay for some of the groceries, but I could tell she was trying to duck out as fast as possible.  Plus, I'm not sure what the original total was, and I'm not ballin' enough (or rather at all) to not care.

I divert my attention toward the left so that she doesn't think I'm staring at her or that I'm getting frustrated, and I notice an older gentleman in a wheelchair with a missing a leg.  As he also glances in my direction while leaving the store, I give him a friendly head nod and he does the same.

Instead of setting my wandering eyes free again, I instead look down at my cart.  My mind then begins to go wild, and I realize how blessed I truly am and how easy it is to take such blessings for granted.   I'm not trying to say that I am any better than those other shoppers ... and that is actually my point.  I have no idea what their story is, where they're going after leaving here, and how they came to arrive at their current situation.   

In fact, given my history and normal societal trends, I should be at a completely different place than where I am today.  And who's to say that tomorrow I won't be in a compromising situation, wondering, "how in the hell did I get here?"   

So often, we complain about a bad day or get frustrated at certain occurrences in our lives.  And while we're fully justified to feel the way that we do, it is also important to put things in perspective.  Yes, matters could always be worse than they really are.  And yes, things can be unfair and downright wrong.  But go a step further to actually count your blessings.

For as much is "going wrong" in your life, I'm quite certain there are at least three times as many positive things to note.  We've simply become conditioned to think our way of life is the norm and we take things as a given, when in fact, we don't truly realize how much is actually uncertain and volatile, and what can change five minutes from now ...  an hour ... a day ... a week ... a month ... a year ...

"Terrible Interviews"

A friend of mine just started the most HILARIOUS blog about her experiences with "terrible" job interviews.  As I'm sure some of you may also be job hunting, you might enjoy reading about some of her eventful experiences.

I'm not just trying to plug her blog ... this ish will have you in tears! Here's a tease from a recent posting, of which you can read the entire "Terrible Interviews" blog by clicking here.

--- EXCERPT

So, interview begins - approximately 80 minutes after I arrived. Also, Katie is still waiting in the car.

It soon becomes clear that this man is crazy. He is convinced that Twitter is "the future of the company" and that the reason the company hasn't had such a great year is due to the lack of adequate tweeting. At one point he mentions that if hired, I would be "the face" of the company. To which I replied, "oh, does that mean that you don't want to be a spokesperson?"

Man, looking at me like I've lost my mind: "Of course I'm the spokesperson. I AM the company."

Me: "Oh, I'm sorry, I guess I misunderstood - you would be the face, then?"

Man: "Excuse me? You are the face."

Me: "Ok...but not...but I wouldn't actually speak on behalf of...the company, then."

Man: "Well, you would do some interviews."

Me: "Oh, ok, so I would also be a spokesperson."

Man: "I AM THE SPOKESPERSON."

Me: "I...alright."

The man then mentions that they are looking to fill the position IMMEDIATELY, and also, that I would have to move. To another city. I'm ok with that, right? Like, perhaps I could start on Monday? That's IF I'm offered the job, of course, which hasn't been decided yet. But if offered, I could be in the new city on Monday, right?

Me: "Oh! Well...gosh, I mean, I would need to find a place to live, first."

Man: "You can't stay with a friend?"

Me: "Um, well, I would also have to figure out what to do with my current lease, here, and also, you know, move all of my stuff, and also I don't have a car. I would probably need a car. I'm, ha, you know, also a little hesitant to commit to moving right now, this city is sort of my home now and..."

Man: "Are you single?"

Me: "Erm...pardon?"

Man: "Are you single. Do you have a boyfriend?"

Me: "Um...ah, no, not...not right now."

Man: "Then there's nothing keeping you here then, huh?"

Me, inwardly: I...feel like I just took a bullet. Thank you.

Man: "There's a lot of single guys in [new city]."