An old adage warns that “the past is the precedent for the future.” And many interviewers secretly believe this to be true. If you were fired from your last job, your interviewer may feel that this fact makes you a bad hiring risk. When confronted with this type of question, you have three choices:
1. Demonstrate that the situation at the new company is so different from your former company that
the two can’t possibly be compared. Then use your wits to illustrate why you deserve the job.
2. Show that your past mistake strengthened you in some way, so that you’re a better, more seasoned, more valuable employee today.
3. Prove that your past mistake was a one-time-only aberration, and not “a pattern” that your interviewer needs to worry about.
What’s the fastest way to get to the executive suite? Review the answers that follow, and practice, practice, practice.
223.
At your last company, it sounds like you inherited a department that was a real mess.And I totally understand why you were booted out. But at this company, the situation is identical. The ____________ department has still not recuperated from Steve Mercier’s sudden departure.
A.
Well, there is one big difference, and that is that I’m not on staff yet. So we can work out how to solve the problems in advance of my coming on board.Together, we can diagnose what Steve Mercier brought to the department, and how his departure impacted it. We can identify the holes he left here, and figure out how to fill them. I would even be willing to complete a self-diagnostic of my strengths and weaknesses, so that we can compensate for my weaknesses in the hiring process.
Perhaps you should bring me on as a consultant for a month so that we can get to the bottom of this together. At the end of the month, we can honestly assess whether or not I’m the right person to fill the slot. In the meantime, I would create a blueprint for you of how to solve the immediate problem, plus map out the steps that your company needs to take to avoid this sort of mess in the future.
Why This Technique Works
1. You’ve acknowledged the fact that you have certain weaknesses, but the company can hire around them.
2. The company has nothing to lose by taking you on as a consultant. Meanwhile, you have everything to gain. You’re a problem-solving genius.
224.
From your resume if looks like you were fired twice. How did that make you feel?A.
Well, after I recuperated from the shock both times, it made me feel stronger, actually. Our field is notorious for treating people as if they are totally dispensable. Let’s face it, there are no unions to protect workers. There are no contracts, except at the highest executive levels. And consequently, a lot of companies have no compunctions about hiring people the minute that they pick up new business, and laying them off the second that a client walks out the door.It’s true that I was fired twice. But I managed to bounce back both times and land jobs that gave me more responsibility, paid me more money, and were at better firms. Your clients are happy and stable. Your bottom line is healthy. And the morale here is very high. In fact, your company is by far the best place that I’ve ever applied to. Therefore, it’s the next logical step in my career advancement.
I’ve been exposed to the “seamy underbelly” of this business, but I’m still passionate about working in it. Let’s talk about your openings, because I’m dying to work at a company of your caliber, and I’ve got the skills and experience that you need.
Why This Technique Works
1. Your past experience made you stronger without taking away your contagious passion and enthusiasm.
2. Your rationale for why the company is the next step in your career progression is both logical and engaging. You’ve mastered “The Discreet Charm of the Interviewee.”
225.
So, basically, you’ve been unemployed for two years. Why should I hire you?A.
I’m delighted you brought that up, Eileen. When I was let go from DDL, I took the opportunity to reinvent myself. I figured that one of the things that had held me back in my career was never having a good, solid foundation in business skills. I got my first job right out of college, and was launched into our business at the tender age of twenty-one. I learned it by being thrown into the “shark pool,” and most of my mentors had no scholastic training either. I’ve taken the last two years off to complete my MBA. Of course, I’ve been going to school at night, so I’m not quite “there” yet. But after another year of night classes, I will have my degree.In the interim, I’ve learned the fundamentals that I always felt I was lacking—accounting skills, an understanding of economics, and even some marketing. You should hire me because I am far more skilled now than I was just two years ago, yet my price has not risen a penny.
A Talk about your grade point average at business school (assuming that it’s high). Or discuss a case study from your last company, where having your new business skills would have lead to an even more successful outcome.
226.
Do you think that the past is any precedent for the future? You were let go from your last firm, right?A.
Yes. I do think that the past is precedent for the future, even though I was let go. Let me explain. I worked successfully at five jobs in row, never losing my job until this last time around. I am a diligent worker and also a caring boss. Every employee I’ve ever managed is pulling for me today to get this job, so that hopefully I can bring him on board down the line. I’ve also gotten along with every boss that I’ve ever had, even the one that had to let me go from my last position. So, yes, Merle, the past is precedent for my future performance. And if you hire me, I will dedicate myself to bringing in new business, and also a sense of team spirit to your hallways.Why This Technique Works
1. You’re not just a beloved manager, you’re a coach; and you have many diehard fans.
2. You sound like both a nice guy to work for and to have working for you. And in the Interviewing Game, nice guys finish first.
That’s a Wrap
1. If you are asked why you were fired, try to position it as a layoff. If you can’t, strive to show that a new boss came in who changed the firm radically from what it had been. You were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. Do your best to praise any ex-bosses who let you go, instead of casting blame.
2 . If your interviewer wonders why you quit, prove that the situation was untenable. But also show that you tried to stick it out for as long as possible. If you have a good relationship with some former clients, stress that you can bring in new business to the company.
3. Did you see the ax coming? Generally, it’s wise to claim that you did, because it shows that you have honed an important survival skill. Share what you did to prevent the ax from falling, why it didn’t work, and what you gained from the experience.
4 . Interviewers are naturally curious. If you’re asked “What really happened?” tell the truth.
Then, steer the conversation to why you deserve to be hired. If humanly possible, be playful about your answers without being superficial.
5. “The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward,” except if you’re the person who’s considered a big risk. If your interviewer is worried that he can’t hire you because you were fired, demonstrate how the experience strengthened you to make you a more desirable employee.
Alternatively, position losing your job as a “one-time event,” or prove that the new company is so different from your old company that there is no way you will be repeating the past.
CHAPTER 10 Your Turn
A
successful job interview is simply a productive conversation. Sometimes, depending on the personality of your future employer, this conversation may seem somewhat one-sided. For these situations, you should arrive with an arsenal of questions to ask—just in case.Here’s a brief anecdote to prove my point. When I was right out of college, I completely blew my chances at a terrific job simply because I had no prepared questions of my own. The job was at Vogue magazine in their Promotions Department. During two summer vacations from college, I had worked as something called a General Rover in all of the different editorial and promotional departments at Condé Nast. I had a fantastic track record at the company; a portfolio of feature stories that I had written for my college newspaper (the Brown Daily Herald); plus I had kept in touch with Condé Nast religiously throughout my senior year. When I finally had the interview, my would-be boss socked one seemingly innocent question to me at the very end: “Do you have any questions?” she