Stupid Interview Mistakes: TMI & Seeming Angry
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
In this video, I talk about two complementary poisons that cost people jobs–sharing too much information and appearing angry.
I’m Jeff Altman, the Big Game Hunter. I coach people and organizations to play big. And I’m continuing my series on stupid interview mistakes, and I wasn’t quite sure how to accurately express this in a title, so I just decided to throw both of them in together. So, this is the stupid mistake of TMI, or too much information, and appearing angry, which to me, they go hand in hand with one another.
You see, maybe you got laid off or fired from a job. Maybe it’s you work at a place where you’re the outsider and everyone else kind of keeps you aside, or you don’t get along with your boss, or whatever the reason is. You’re in a situation that you’re angry and frustrated about, and you start going off on these, you know, answering questions with way too much detail too, that no one really cares about, and it just gives people the idea that, “Hey, this guy’s weird,” you know? “Uh, I’m not sure I really want them around,” you know what I mean?
So the result winds up being you talk yourself out of jobs, which often happens with veteran individuals where their frustration or their anger about getting laid off, in particular, is so poisonous to their landing the next situation. It’s like you go out on an interview, it’s too soon after the layoff has taken place and you wear your heart on your sleeves. Or, you got into a fight with your boss and, “I’m mad, and let me tell you on the interview what it is that this person did to me, that they’re wrong and I’m right.”
Who wants to hear it? You’ve got to, you know, put aside any anger or heartbreak that you have about losing a job or being in a situation that isn’t working for you. You have to bring the story down to the facts and talk about them in a way that’s very casual and it doesn’t reveal quite as much as this vulnerability does.
So just remember, the next firm hears that kind of stuff and wonders who the loose cannon is. And frankly, since you’re sounding like it, the likelihood is they’re going to decide it’s you since they don’t have any countervailing evidence to offset it. So just hold back. You’re just going to hurt yourself and damage your prospects with a firm.
I hope you found this helpful. And again, I’m Jeff Altman, the Big Game Hunter. If you’re interested in one-on-one coaching with me because you’re a senior professional and you believe, you know, for some reason the job search isn’t going right, email me at jeffaltman@thebiggamehunter.us. In the subject line, put the word “coaching” so I know what it’s about. And if you’re not a senior professional, the best place is jobsearchcoachinghq.com where I offer curated information that I’ve developed and others have as well that’ll help you find work more quickly.
Have a great day.
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People hire Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter to provide No BS Career Advice globally because he makes many things in peoples’ careers
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Agreed. No matter what, you can’t come off as bitter. Even when they probe for the details, I won’t get in to it. I put a SHORT, positive spin on why I left my last job. Then I quickly redirect the conversation back to my qualifications, which is what I’m there to discuss anyway. It’s a job interview, not an episode of “As The World Turns”. Getting into the weeds about your past situation will make for great gossip once you leave the building, but they will not hire you.
+SW Sweetie You’ve got it!
Agreed. No matter what, you can’t come off as bitter. Even when they probe for the details, I won’t get in to it. I put a SHORT, positive spin on why I left my last job. Then I quickly redirect the conversation back to my qualifications, which is what I’m there to discuss anyway. It’s a job interview, not an episode of “As The World Turns”. Getting into the weeds about your past situation will make for great gossip once you leave the building, but they will not hire you.
+SW Sweetie You’ve got it!