Sorry, buddy, I didn’t get an easy lay-up of a job once because I candidly I told them I got fired for not knowing shit about that particular industry (which was separate from the job I was applying to, where I actually had a bit more knowledge). It turns out that the employer that fired me will only verify dates of employment, not cause for leaving, so it was a mistake to be honest.
In fact, it’s almost always a mistake to be honest in job interviews, unless you’re jesus christ. Your first (only?) job is to service the emotional needs of the employer, which usually means not asking any probing questions about how they do business, and certainly do not demonstrate you are a serious person by talking about real deficits and how you plan to overcome them; because there is some asshole out there who is applying for the same job who will just be lying their ass off and saying how big the employer’s dick is and the employer won’t figure out they hired some incompetent fool for another few months.
I once got some feedback from an interview for a job a didn’t get. They asked me how I felt about paperwork. I said that I didn’t love it, but it needed to be done, and I made sure to finish all my paperwork by the end of the day, or end of the week at worst. This was a person-centered job, so I thought it was an OK answer. This was not the right answer. The right answer was, “I’m PASSIONATE about doing paperwork.”
Maybe you appreciate an honest candidate, but most people don’t, and there’s no way to know who is interviewing you.
Do you want evidence? Look at LLMs, designed through multiple reviews and iterations to provide “the best” answer. Guess what? The two traits that all LLMs excel at: obsequiousness and authoritativeness–that’s the energy you need to bring to job interviews.
Your first (only?) job is to service the emotional needs of the employer
This is mostly true even after you get hired. Most people are just large children with poorly managed emotions. It doesn’t matter if you’re right. It matters if your boss feels good.
I know its anecdotal, but I’ve interviewed for dozens of jobs and ended up getting an offer every single time. And it’s not because I lie.
The most important thing in an interview is confidence. I don’t show up begging for a job. I ask them questions and essentially get them to explain why I should work there.
And the confidence starts before the interview. I work in municipal government right now, and my cover letter wasn’t some flowery bullshit about how I was excited for the opportunity blah blah. I included specific process improvements I wanted to bring to that specific city. I was able to do that because instrad of shotgunning my resume, I tailor it to the jobs I want.
I asked for the top number in the salary range because I’m very good at what I do. Some people ask for something in the middle because they think if you ask for the top number you’re immediately dismissed. I’ve never seen that happen. If the salary range has a top number, that number’s already been budgeted, so they’re willing to pay it. Strategically asking for less hoping you’ll get the offer tells the employer that you’re not sure you’re as qualified as the other candidates and are pitching yourself as the budget option.
If the number is a problem but they still want you, they’ll offer a lower number.
I’m learning not to be honest in interviews by being rejected after interviews where I’m honest.
You’re an objectively better candidate than I am. Not only do I lack recent experience, I’m also have gaps and some very unrelated low-level jobs. I’m applying for close-to-entry level work in a field I’m actually highly critical of in ways employers definitely don’t want to hear. With all my “red flags”, it’s best to be as normal and not threatening as possible.
Which does shake my confidence, a bit, going in feeling like I have to misrepresent myself, but it’s something I need to work on as a cynical manipulation of the process.
Sorry, buddy, I didn’t get an easy lay-up of a job once because I candidly I told them I got fired for not knowing shit about that particular industry (which was separate from the job I was applying to, where I actually had a bit more knowledge). It turns out that the employer that fired me will only verify dates of employment, not cause for leaving, so it was a mistake to be honest.
In fact, it’s almost always a mistake to be honest in job interviews, unless you’re jesus christ. Your first (only?) job is to service the emotional needs of the employer, which usually means not asking any probing questions about how they do business, and certainly do not demonstrate you are a serious person by talking about real deficits and how you plan to overcome them; because there is some asshole out there who is applying for the same job who will just be lying their ass off and saying how big the employer’s dick is and the employer won’t figure out they hired some incompetent fool for another few months.
I once got some feedback from an interview for a job a didn’t get. They asked me how I felt about paperwork. I said that I didn’t love it, but it needed to be done, and I made sure to finish all my paperwork by the end of the day, or end of the week at worst. This was a person-centered job, so I thought it was an OK answer. This was not the right answer. The right answer was, “I’m PASSIONATE about doing paperwork.”
Maybe you appreciate an honest candidate, but most people don’t, and there’s no way to know who is interviewing you.
Do you want evidence? Look at LLMs, designed through multiple reviews and iterations to provide “the best” answer. Guess what? The two traits that all LLMs excel at: obsequiousness and authoritativeness–that’s the energy you need to bring to job interviews.
This is mostly true even after you get hired. Most people are just large children with poorly managed emotions. It doesn’t matter if you’re right. It matters if your boss feels good.
Yup, I’m realizing that merit and hard work is for suckers. The pathway to success is kissing ass. Unfortunately, I’m constitutionally incapable.
I know its anecdotal, but I’ve interviewed for dozens of jobs and ended up getting an offer every single time. And it’s not because I lie.
The most important thing in an interview is confidence. I don’t show up begging for a job. I ask them questions and essentially get them to explain why I should work there.
And the confidence starts before the interview. I work in municipal government right now, and my cover letter wasn’t some flowery bullshit about how I was excited for the opportunity blah blah. I included specific process improvements I wanted to bring to that specific city. I was able to do that because instrad of shotgunning my resume, I tailor it to the jobs I want.
I asked for the top number in the salary range because I’m very good at what I do. Some people ask for something in the middle because they think if you ask for the top number you’re immediately dismissed. I’ve never seen that happen. If the salary range has a top number, that number’s already been budgeted, so they’re willing to pay it. Strategically asking for less hoping you’ll get the offer tells the employer that you’re not sure you’re as qualified as the other candidates and are pitching yourself as the budget option.
If the number is a problem but they still want you, they’ll offer a lower number.
I’m learning not to be honest in interviews by being rejected after interviews where I’m honest.
You’re an objectively better candidate than I am. Not only do I lack recent experience, I’m also have gaps and some very unrelated low-level jobs. I’m applying for close-to-entry level work in a field I’m actually highly critical of in ways employers definitely don’t want to hear. With all my “red flags”, it’s best to be as normal and not threatening as possible.
Which does shake my confidence, a bit, going in feeling like I have to misrepresent myself, but it’s something I need to work on as a cynical manipulation of the process.