After spending several years constantly hiring people in the Valley, here are small pet peeves that I encounter frequently - and bother me most. Last week one candidate did the hat trick and did all 3 which made me want to write it down and make it “public” for the record –
1. Don’t show up late, and then not apologize.
Call me old-fashioned, but I like candidates that show up on time. But stuff happens. Traffic happens. Trains don’t run on time like they do in Germany. But is it really that much to ask to apologize when you’re late to an interview? Or at least call ahead to warn that you’d be late?
“Punctuality is the courtesy of kings” – quote I remember from the wonderful BOOK not the movie ”Thank You for Smoking” but supposedly its from a Louis XVIII. Its not that 2 minutes here, 5 minutes makes a world of difference in terms of time – its a matter of respect for the other person – and this is important no matter what the role (except maybe – brilliant engineer).
2. Don’t admit you had a long weekend in Vegas, so you didn’t really have time to prep for the interview.
Again, this is more about respect for the other person. In what world is this an appropriate response to your lack of preparation? At the very least, you should try to appear prepared – because yes, at some point in your career, you will have a long weekend in Vegas and won’t be prepared for the important presentation. But the ability to get through those situations passably – is what separates the boys/girls from the men/women.
3. Don’t be negative about the interviewer’s T-shirt.
Negativity is fine for soul-searching blogs and Yelp reviews. And sure, you can joke about people’s dress after you’ve landed your job. But being negative about the company, about industry events, about the T-shirt that the interviewer is wearing – all things which should follow the maxim “If you can’t say something nice, better not say anything at all.” You can think all these things – but do you really have to say them out loud?
All of these things come down to “RESPECT”. If you have a modicum of respect for someone who is spending the time to consider hiring you and giving you money & a sense of belonging, I think its all common sense….
Otherwise – its much more respectful to cancel an interview, than to go thru with it. In the Web world, you may not want/or care about the job now, but in 2 years this same person may be interviewing you for the dream job, and negative impressions will last a lifetime….
