How to turn off a candidate and lose business

A business friend called last week to share an interview horror story. He has managed a $50 million business unit for a major brand and is very highly regarded.

His story was funny and sad at the same time. He was absolutely turned off by the interviewer, the president of the company; was extremely glad not to get the job or even get invited back for a second meeting; and he will probably never buy that company's products because of the downright discourtesy and rudeness of the president.

NOTE: Identities and product categories have been obfuscated to avoid harmful blowback. Don't want my friend to get hurt. Just hope other interviewers learn the obvious lesson: Interviewing is an exchange of information and a chance to build good will. Use the interview wisely and well.

Company X is a popular nameplate of consumer goods looking to expand their brand equity into another item. My friend was very well (perhaps over -) qualified for a category manager position. The president and owner of Company X flew the candidate into his city at his expense.

My friend's $50 million business unit was in the same category at a very large company with a household name. His category at that time was probably as big or bigger than the total size of the company at which he was being interviewed.

My friend met the president at the designated spot in the airport in the president's home city. They exchanged a few social pleasantries.

Almost immediately, as the meeting progressed, the president and owner of Company X proceeded to denigrate and belittle two of my friend's previous companies. Then he went on to dispute several of my friend's statements in a churlish, competitive fashion.

My friend said that he thought to himself, "Why did he bring me into town and ask me these questions if he already knows all the answers?"

Because of the kind of person he is, my friend had done a little research on Company X. He had discovered an issue he wanted to share with the owner in the interests of improving his business. My friend's approach was, "Hey, here's a situation you might want to know about ... because it directly affects market penetration in the category under consideration."

At an appropriate time, my friend said, "I was in [one of the top five US markets] last week. I called your customer service department and asked where in that city I could buy your product at retail.

"The Customer Service Representative said, 'I dunno. Could you call back tomorrow? Or ... why don't you just buy the product online?'"

The president and owner of the company said, "Well, you should have bought the product online." Showing that he wasn't really listening and totally missed the point.

My friend didn't want to buy the product. He wanted to go to a retail venue and see the merchandising. He wanted to understand the product range and line segmentation and to look at competitive products.

Here's the lesson for all interviewers: Represent your company with professionalism. Avoid critical or negative comments about a candidate's previous employers ... or ANYTHING.

Think about it: If a candidate comes into the interview setting and says something cutting about their current company or challenges statements by the interviewer, that would pretty much end the meeting.

Same rules apply to you as apply to them.

And if the candidate makes a gracious suggestion on improving your customer service, make a note and say, "Thank you."

Questioning the questioner

The candidate at an interview should ask questions. Questions show people how you think and what information is important to you.

Questions show the candidate's level of preparation for the meeting. Questions show the candidates interest in the position and increasing grasp of the scope.

If you are a candidate in a job interview, you should expect the interview to ask if you have questions. That's your chance to shine.

Here's a very helpful post which puts things into context. You can find some very good advice about how to handle questioning the questioner right here.

Job Hunter's Bible

I have a lot of respect for Richard Bolles. He is the author of "What Color Is Your Parachute?"

This book is an invaluable compendium of information about career changes and job searches. There is much wisdom in this book.

Simple little nuggets like: The interviewer really wants to learn four things: 1) Who are you? 2) Why are you here? 3) What can you do for me? and 4) How much will it cost. Brilliant.

Seems like I recommend it to someone almost every day. Of course they say, "Yeah, sure ... " but never actually get around to it. The same people look for short cuts or want the recruiter to wave the magic wand and make the dream job appear.

In 20 years of search experience, when asked the compensation question, no candidate has ever responded, "Y'know, Eric, I am drastically overpaid."

And in 20 years of search experience, I've never come across a better distillation of the basic truths about job hunting than this book.

Customize the interview questions

Here is how an experienced interviewer creates unique questions. These questions get to the essential information and help determine if the candidate is right for the position.

With a little preparation, the customized questions create a professional impression of the interviewer and the company. Simultaneously, they ferret out the essentials.

Check out how the big kids conduct an interview.

Stand out in the job search

Here's another take on the eternal question: How do you stand out in the crowd?

If you're looking for a position or a better position, what can you do to differentiate yourself?

If you go to npr.org and search on "Get Noticed In The New Economy" (make sure to use the quotes), a wonderful segment from "Talk of the Nation" will come up. Worth a listen.

Break through the clutter, connect with the hiring managers, use your social networks. This really encourages LinkedIn ... and using a the same head shot in all location,

Don't just submit your resume blindly to a posting. Waste of time.

Worth a listen.