KEEP IT CLEAN

On An Interview- Keep the Language Clean

Recently a candidate of mine was interviewing for a Spinal Surgery position in Baltimore. The hiring manager is ex-collegiate football player who has risen nicely in the rankings of his company.  The candidate is also an ex-collegiate athlete who was going for his second interview with the company, and the first meeting with the RSM.  The usual pre-interview banter was going along very nicely with the anecdotes and locker room stories leading to a very comfortable situation.  My candidate, fully engaged in the meeting, told a final story about his gridiron days when he said that his team ” beat the effing s–t” out of his opponent.  The manager smiled and went on with the interview.

As the interview progressed, the candidate, thinking that he had established a strong chemistry with the manager, sprinkled in a few other expletives along the way.  The interview ended with a few laughs, a warm handshake, and a candidate feeling supremely confident that that he nailed the interview.

Which he didn’t.  You can guess why.

I do not care if the hiring manager has a gutter mouth- never EVER use profane language on an interview.  Many astute hiring managers will attempt to put a candidate at ease just to see if that candidate will commit an interview faux- pas.  Many hiring managers will also try to change the course of an interview to throw the candidate off guard just to see if the candidate can redirect the manager back to the subject matter.

Be on your guard.  Do not fall into the trap.  Keep it clean, keep in professional, and keep it on track