How Not to Get the Job, Vol.1.

Don't be a dumbass,
you dumbass

A lot of interview questions are pretty standard. Some are straight forward, and some are meant to trip you up. I like to start off interviews with simple and straight forward questions. A lot of time I am interviewing potential interns so the questions have to be more situational and less experience related. One of my favorite questions to ask potential interns is “Tell me about the time you had to take control of a difficult situation and how you handled it.” Nothing too complicated right? This seems to throw college kids for a loop. I get a lot of blank stares and can really see the gears turning. Some answer pretty quickly, some take a lot of time to fabricate something.

I walked into my office one morning, checked my schedule, saw I had some interviews, and printed out my usual list of questions. The first few intern candidates were ok. Things went smoothly until the last interviewee walked in and sat down. Something just wasn’t right. The dude reminded me of someone from Jersey Shore.  We started to talk, and then I began my questioning. The guy didn’t seem overly motivated so I jumped to the “difficult situation” question.  The following conversation played out after I dropped the mind bomb.

Me: “So tell me about a time where you had to take charge of a difficult situation and how you handled it.”

Student: “Hmmmm, that’s a good question.”

Me: “Can you give me an example, maybe school or work related?”

Student: “There was one time when I was on a debate team and some conversations got very heated.”

Me: “OhhhhhKaaaaay, what were you debating?”

Student:  “The pro’s and con’s of using Ecstasy and potentially legalizing it.”

Me: “So just out of curiosity, what side were you on, for or against?”

Student:  “I was pro-use and definitely for legalization.”

The conversation was getting interesting at this time so I pushed forward. This guy was a total idiot, but I was having too much fun to let it go.

Me: “So why were you so in favor or legalizing and using ecstasy?”

Student: “I take some every so often at the clubs on the weekend and I don’t see any negative side effects. I’m normal, right?”

Me: “aaaaahhh sure, whatever you say.”

I already knew this dude was a definite “no” but this really sealed the deal. HEY DUMBASS! It’s not a good idea to disclose your casual drug use to a potential employer on an interview. There are certain things that you should not talk about! If you can’t answer the question a simple “I don’t know” or “I can’t answer the question” will suffice. You don’t need to throw out the “I use drugs” card. The only thing that will help with is getting your ass laughed at and then kicked out the door.  You may think that there are no negative side effects from using drugs. Guess again! They must be doing something if you are telling your interviewers about your habit. Think outside the buns and pull your head out of your ass!