Have you ever walked out of an interview so sure that you aced it, only to find out you were unsuccessful? You’re not alone!
Everyone has examples of job opportunities we were sure we were going to get but didn’t, horror stories of terrible interviews, and have been asked questions that seem to have nothing to do with the role at all.
Even Steve Lecker, Partner at Minted Search Group has a few good stories to share:
“I once had an interview where the first question was, “what was the last book you read”? I told the interviewer that I read mostly industry related material that could potentially increase my ability to be effective in my career. I thought it was a great answer and felt the rest of the interview went stupendously. I walked out of the interview with my head high and convinced I was a shoo- in for the position.
Well, I was wrong, when I found out I didn’t even get a second interview, I called the person I met with to get feedback. He told me that the book question was very important to him, he wanted to learn more about me as a person, he didn’t want me to give him the answer I thought he wanted to hear, an answer that was robotic and uninteresting. He told me it was the beginning of the interview, and the first question was more of a get to know you question, rather than one that would allow him to assess whether I had the skills and experience to be successful in his company, all those questions came later.
If I would have told him the last book I read was a biography on Neil Young, and I enjoy reading biographies about musicians, maybe he would have thought I was an interesting individual who also had the skill and experience to do the job and would have hired me. Was he right to put so much emphasis on the book question? Maybe, and maybe not.
"I had a similar experience with a very large national telecommunications company, and at the time it was a company that had a lot of cache if you had them on your resume.
The interview process was quite long. The first step was to spend a half day at their office where I completed several aptitude, skill and intelligence tests, then came two face to face interviews, then reference checks. After over a month I found out that I made it to the final round, and I was excited. The last round was an in-person sales simulation. When I arrived, I was put in a room with a chair, a desk with four turned over pieces of paper sitting on it, and a phone.
The interviewer came in and told me that the four pieces of paper were four specs for different cars and I had 10 minutes to review them. After 10 minutes a potential customer would call and I had to sell him one of these cars. The potential client had a spouse and two children, lived 10 minutes from work and goes to a cottage frequently during the summer.
Firstly, at this time I was a single 25-year-old man. I had no spouse, no kids, and no cottage and knew nothing about cars. I took the subway to work. (Did I mention this was a telecommunications company???)
I reviewed the documents and then the phone rang. I decided to sell the mid-range sedan, with enough room for the family, good on gas, and good value – it checked all the boxes and sounded good to me.
Not to the potential client. I missed a vital component; the trunk. He had two kids – kids have a lot of stuff, he goes to the cottage, people bring a lot of stuff to the cottage, and just like that I was out.
I scored well on the testing, interviewed with several people all who gave me a green light, my references were perfect, my skills and work experience mirrored the job description, but I didn’t get the job based on my lack of car knowledge and the fact that I didn’t have the life experience of a 40-year-old family man. My mom got my sister and I around in a Nissan Sentra with no problem. Now I have kids and a spouse and have spent many summers going to the cottage, so I get it now.”
We’re sure that Steve is definitely not the only one who can relate to these experiences or similar, and although he wasn’t successful for those roles, there are some important takeaways.
There are so many questions that may come up in your next interview and it is impossible to predict what a potential employer could ask. Everyone has different interview strategies and tries to come up with innovative ways to assess candidates, even if these strategies may seem somewhat ridiculous.
Give yourself the best possible chance by understanding what interviewers really want to know. Here are the top 4 questions you’ll likely be asked in a job interview, and how to answer them:
An interviewer will ask you this to understand your goals and determine how you would fit into the company. Candidates with clear goals are set to impress hiring managers, especially when they align with the company.
While there is much less stigma associated with a gap showing in your resume, it’s important to be able to speak about your job history confidently - you’d be surprised how many candidates fumble at this question! The interviewer wants to know more than just the facts and figures. Take time to think about your learnings and any accomplishments in a previous role. (hint: this will come in handy if they ask you to tell them about a challenge you faced in the workplace.)
Similar to explaining your job history, you must be able to speak confidently about your skills and experience. Besides the hard skills and credentials, consider soft skills you gained that may not be obvious from your previous job title, and that could give you an advantage in the role you’re applying for.
Interviews can be a nerve-wracking experience. The unknown is scary, and there are so many questions that may come up in your next interview, but preparation is key. You can either spend time anxiously worrying about it, or go in as prepared as you can.
Minted Search Group are expert recruiters, helping accountants in Canada find their next role for over 12 years. Get in touch to find yours.