Pongo Resume

Today's post is written by Tom Frost (pictured). Formerly Pongo's Web Development Manager, Tom is a long-time software industry veteran who has done his share of interviewing and hiring during his career.

I once had the pleasure of interviewing a gentleman who, based on his resume, seemed like the perfect fit for my department's job opening. However, after he fumbled through a series of missteps and bumps during his interview, I discovered he was clearly not the right hire.

As I laughingly recounted the event, I was reminded of many other job interview "Don'ts" I have witnessed as a hiring manager. While many may appear obvious, they're worth reinforcing.

Don't be late: Showing up an hour late because you miscalculated the time it would take to get to the interview is not a good start. Hello? Have you ever heard of MapQuest or Google Maps? Know where you're going and be on time.

Don't bring your cell phone into the interview: Having your "Hells Bells" ringtone go off while you're talking shop is probably not a good idea. Leave it in your car. Period. It's a distraction, even if it's just vibrating in your pocket.

Don't wear sandals or shorts: Yes, I have seen it, even with candidates who interviewed for senior-level positions. Dress professionally, regardless of the position you're interviewing for. If you dress like you don't care, guess what? The interviewer will care and won't hire you.

Don't look at the wall or into space every time you answer a question: Eye contact is very important. You don't have to constantly stare at the interviewer; just make frequent eye contact, especially when you listen to and answer questions. Looking into space projects an air of insincerity and disinterest.

Don't pretend you know something when you don't: I happen to like sports and have a nice collection of photos and memorabilia in my office. It often makes for interesting conversation. Especially the one time a guy saw a photo of a Boston Bruins game on my wall and said, "You like the Bruins? I love them, especially Larry Bird!" Oh really? And how about that time Derek Jeter threw a touchdown pass to Wayne Gretzky?

Don't tell the interviewer your life story: Stay focused and answer the questions that are asked of you. There's no need to tell your life story or provide really long answers to simple questions. Conversation is good. Monologues, not so much. Time is valuable, especially the interviewer's, so don't waste it.

Don't act as if you already got the job: Confidence is a good thing, but arrogance, pompousness, or cockiness will turn the interviewer off. I had one guy tell me I'd have to create a flexible work schedule for him because he didn't want to deal with the commute. Turned out he didn't have to deal with the commute at all, because I didn't hire him. Buh-bye!

Don't neglect your personal hygiene: Think it doesn't matter? Au contraire! It most certainly does. Make sure you shower and avoid those double-onion bagels right before the interview. Bad smells with a first impression don't work well in any situation.

Don't ask, "So, what does this company do, anyway?": Failing to research the company ahead of time simply tells the interviewer you're not really interested. Spend at least a few minutes before the interview to find out what the company does, how it does it, and who its competitors are. Better yet, do this before you even apply for the position!

Don't say you're leaving your current job "because the place sucks": If you're in or have left a job you didn't like, simply find a nicer way to tell the interviewer why you left, such as "I wanted to explore other opportunities" or "I am looking to build upon the skills I have." Don't tell them, "My boss is such a jerk. He makes me work five days a week!"

Don't announce on LinkedIn or Facebook that you partied so hard this weekend that you woke up two days later: Interviewers have many tools at their disposal today. Checking potential hires' LinkedIn profiles and Facebook or Twitter updates are common practices. Keep your personal pages looking clean, mature, and professional. You never know who might be looking at them, so be sure it doesn't cost you a potential opportunity.

Have you ever experienced any of these "don'ts?" Got others you'd like to share? Tell us in a comment below.

RELATED LINKS

Top 5 Interview Questions and How to Answer Them
How to Recover Quickly from an Interview Mistake
Be a Good Storyteller at the Job Interview

I completely agree with every point! Very good for job seekers to remember.

To build on the "bad smells" point, there can also be too much of the "good smells" (i.e. cologne). I interviewed many prospective volunteers in a previous position as the Director of Volunteer Services of a nonprofit, and one I remember particularly well because of her perfume. She wore a lot of it; even though I am not allergic to smells, within five minutes my eyes were watering.

Very true and very funny!

I am sick and tired of do's and don'ts for interviews. These companies are NOT hiring and taking government stimulus money to create positions, then interviewing people and NOT hiring for the position. This is why people have stopped looking, AND applying for jobs. You can go into the interviews with the best disposition and dressed like a million bucks and then NOTHING. I am sick of this economy, this Obama administration and everything that goes with this depressioin. Yes it is a depression and NOT a recession. Funny that two years ago I read on AOL one night how someone posted an article that stated about how many millions of jobs had to be lost in this country to be considered a depression. HHMMM? Did someone know something about what was to come? This was all preplanned......and this article was LONG before the unemployment rate peaked at more than 9.7%.

All great tips on what not to do! The big one that I have problems with is the cell phone. They can be very disturbing, and many "less connected" people feel very insulted by another phone ringing during a conversation.

Definitely a temptation to leave outside the interview room.

How important is it to ware a sport coat to an interview? I am very comfortable in a tie but summertime in Florida a sport coat seems a bit much. I had a big interview last week and sweated like a pig. I think it may have been better to be comfortable. What do you think?

I think as long as you are well dressed, dressing for the weather should not be held against you. If you walk in with a light blouse(ladies) or a nice shirt and tie(gents) but no business coat, well, if it's 80+degrees out, they shouldn't hold it against you. Wanting the job, and having the interviewer want you to sweat like a pig to get it, are 2 different things.

Mapquest and google maps are more frequently wrong than they are right. I once was on the opposite side of town, then spent time trying to find the police station. Don't bother calling the front desk of the company for directions, it is usually some bimbo who doesn't know left from right. So I recommend, try it a day earlier.

This was all just common sense! These recommendations are for children barely out of high school. Anything with true substance?

Anyone who exudes any of these obvious don'ts should not be hired. I logged on thinking maybe I would be reminded of something. What a waste of time. Truth is the economy sucks and the money is getting into fewer and fewer hands that don't care about their neighbor any more. Mortgages are being foreclosed at an alarming rate so much that even the wealthy people are being scammed. Watch out America we are losing it. I'm from the baby boomers era and my life has been getting worse every year. P.S. At least I know how to shoot a gun and protect my own holdings as I think someday that is what it will come to.

Ya the one thing that is tireing me out is sending my resume & a cover letter , to a potential job you have all the qualifications & then some & you dont even so much as get a reply , stating no you dont have quite what we are looking for or no your over qualified or no your under qualified .You get a big fat ZERO NO REPLY whatsoever, whats up with that Company's have a little respect for us who have taken the time to send you our resume & are interested in working for you!!

While many of these suggestions are certainly "no brainers", you would be amazed at the number of people that still fail to use common sense when they come for on-site interviews.

Greetings,

Enjoyed the list. Having been on both sides of the table adds perspective.

One more to add, using Corie's example, "Don't post rants, firestorms, or shower down brimstone, online." It reflects on how you will behave once you've been hired and 'settled in.'

To Malcom's point about it all just being, 'common sense,' I agree. But I've also seen how 'common sense' varies wildly. Where someone may want to have a 'pleasant' smell about them, my preference is to focus on -no- smell.

Thanks again,

JT...

I am not thrilled with everything this administration is doing, but I do think it's unfair to lay all the blame at their feet. This situation started way before Obama took office. Remember the Reagan years (deregulation mania) and the Bushes? Things really went to hell in a handbasket with Bush the younger and the war. Who profits? Follow the money. I am currently unemployed and gravely concerned about my present and future.

I think Obama could look more closely at Franklin D. Roosevelt's programs. This country's infrastructure is falling apart.

Hey Gang -

While I appreciate the many political views - and we all have them, please keep the comments directed at the Blog entry's topic and not turn the comment section into a political discussion. :-)

Thank you,

Tom

Dear Ma'am/Sir, I have owned a business, interviewed, and have been interviewed by others. I went to an interview dressed in a nice suit. A young girl came in behind me in red shorts and a belly shirt. She was asked if she would like a job in management and I was asked if I would work in make-up. To this day I have not figured out the job market. I would very much like to work. Puzzled!!!!!!?????????

Hi Kim,

I can certainly understand your frustration, especially given the scenario that you described. In hindsight, if that is how the potential employer makes their hiring decisions, chances are pretty good that they will face their own "challenges" in the long run and you are probably better off somewhere else.

Unfortunately the interviewing process is not a perfect science and various human actions\qualities oftentimes intervene that lead to unexpected results.

My best advice is to continue to follow the recommended "best practices" approach to job hunting and you are bound to find something you enjoy in the end.

Best of luck!

Tom

Very valid points! And as any hiring manager would agree these things that seem common sense are not common sense for many many people. And the part about smells is VERY IMPORTANT! If you are a smoker, please don't smoke right before you go in for an interview the smell is revolting!

I agree, map quest can also be incorrect. I have the Garmin navigation system. I arrived at an interview county 1:00 early. My navigation system continued to give me incorrect directions. I stopped at several sister companies for the job I was interviewing for. Long Story-Short, I ended up being late for my interview.

I had all the skills, experience and an advance degree, great personality and dressed very professionally; however I did not get the job. I believe some companies use these rules as a means to feel too powerful.

Obviously if I got lost once, I would not get lost in the future for the same location. Furthermore, if the interviewee was concern with tardiness, why not simply include this topic in the interview.

I agree 100% that being late to your interview with a valid excuse (i.e. GPS issue, incorrect directions) should never be a reason NOT to hire someone. I also agree that often times a company will use the "power play" on some of its potential recruits "just because". My thoughts here are if they treat their applicants that way, chances are you might be better off finding employment somewhere else anyway.

Best of luck in your job search!

The do's and do not's were good, but not unique. I've read the exact same thing on many other sites. I wonder if these site writer just change a few things in each paragraph and resell their copy to other websites? If so, I'm in the wrong business! :-) I'm afraid though, that I am with the ones who spoke of "politics" as if that were somehow not related to every single thing we do here or abroad! It is in the very bread we eat, the water we drink, its words are reflected from pulpit to pundits sites ... we ARE politics. So are jobs! I'd like to see more about how individuals can group together, form these NGO's or nonprofits so WE can pay ourselves executive wages to dish out bucks to others in need, or not ... maybe our friends, our community ... so it does not all go to corporations, like .. hmm .. the ones we're supposed to be interviewing with, who have the tax bucks but who refuse to hire anyone. The rich are disgustingly wealthier than at any time during my 55 years and the poor are shamefully far more poor than ever before too. SOMETHING HAS TO CHANGE. Why not let it be US ... let US get those "stimulus dollars" by BECOMING CORPORATIONS! They get more protection under the law, more tax dollars, more 'work' for NOT working! Let's see some articles on HOW-TO create corporations out of like-minded people, family members or friends! Now, THAT would be good to read!

@Terry Reed I suspect the fact that you've seen similar advice on other web sites is a reflection that a) the advice is universally valid, and b) there are a lot of us who are trying to help people understand what it takes to get hired.

You may be well-informed, but there are a lot of people out there who haven't seen this kind of advice over and over. They may be just starting their careers, unemployed for the first time in decades, leaving a family business where they never had to interview, or any of the myriad other circumstances that have befallen so many people.

I'm afraid we won't be writing about how "like-minded people can join together and form a corporation," since that has nothing to do with Pongo's business model.

We can help you with resumes, cover letters, job interviewing, of job searching, but incorporating yourself? You'll have to get THAT advice elsewhere!

Take care!

Julie O'Malley, CPRW (Pongo)

nice to read... thanks for the tips