With around 11 million jobs open and companies in nearly all sectors aggressively hiring, it's ... [+]
A miscalculation job seekers make, when they are interviewing in a hot job market, is to overplay their hand. With around 11 million jobs open and companies in nearly all sectors aggressively hiring, it's understandable that an applicant can get arrogant in their approach. Since there is a supply-and-demand imbalance, concerning available talent, it's tempting for some to take advantage of the situation.
It's a reasonable strategy to leverage your position. We’ve all seen the power dynamics between businesses and employees shift. At times, such as the financial crisis and the early months of the pandemic, companies conducted massive layoffs. When looking to hire, the expectations were exceedingly high. Now, the tables have turned.
Rockstar Jerks Aren’t Welcome
Despite being in a better negotiating position, there is a fine line between sharing your experience, talents, skills, and education and having the ability to ask for a sizable pay increase, and acting in a rude and abusive manner.
You know that they know you’re in the driver’s seat. The interviewer knows that you know they know that they’re desperate to hire. More often than not, if a job hunter comes across as an arrogant, rockstar jerk, the hiring manager may take a hard pass. They don’t want to have to contend with a difficult personality for the next three to five years. It's worth the wait to find another applicant who also possesses the appropriate skills to do the job and demonstrates solid social and communication skills.
Gathered from two-plus decades of firsthand anecdotes of hiring managers and job seekers, here are some of the dos and don'ts of interviewing in a hot job market.
It’s Your Attitude
Interviewing is like playing a game. There are unwritten rules of how to act. We all have egos and think we’re great at certain things, but you need your hubris in check.
For instance, it’s a turnoff when asked about what you do, you indignantly respond, “Haven’t you read my résumé?’ This is usually accompanied by a lofty air of superiority, as the conversation continues. This violates the rules of the game. The interview is supposed to be a reasonable conversation between two parties to see if there is a mutual fit and the potential for a long-term relationship.
It's a red flag to the interviewer when the interviewee comes across as if they are above the process. There is this feeling of entitlement expressed by the job applicant that they should be immediately rewarded with a lush job offer because of how wonderful they are. The candidate may indeed be right for the role, but it's hard to get around the fact that the person could be problematic, if hired. The power play is a sign that the candidate could turn out to be a liability. They may push for immediate promotions and raises, avoid being a team player, openly criticize the boss and treat their subordinates rudely. It's not worth the risk to bring this type of person aboard.
Put Your Ego Aside
The key to connecting is to show your genuine and authentic self. You want to demonstrate that you possess both the requisite experience and the interpersonal skills to work well with others.
Attend the interview with the mindset that you’re going to share your background and experiences in a positive, polite manner. You’ll answer questions respectfully. You won’t try to dominate the conversation and push around the interviewer. If you possess all of the requisites, simply sharing your story will resonate with the hiring manager.
Getting Hired Involves A Lot Of Little Things
A tone-deaf job hunter will only care about themselves. When offering times to interview, they'll only select appointments that are convenient to them, regardless of what is best for the hiring personnel. Believing that they need you more than you need them, a candidate may cancel a scheduled meeting at the last moment or simply ghost the company.
The person arrives late to the Zoom video call without acknowledging that the human resources person has been patiently waiting for 10 minutes. Their mannerisms in the video seem to be indifferent, as they feel they should be anointed with the job offer because of who they are.
The job seeker pushes back on filling out applications and other required documentation. They didn't bother to thoroughly read the job description, check out the LinkedIn profiles of the folks conducting the interview nor did they conduct a deep dive into the company, its businesses, latest developments, corporate culture and mission statement. These are telltale signals that, although the experience is on-target, it may not be worthwhile to continue with the interview process.
The Interview
Answer the questions directly. Be concise and match your experience to the job at hand. You need to be fully engaged and present. If you look bored or bothered by the process, it's a bad look.
Avoid saying anything unduly negative about your current or former bosses and co-workers. Treat the interviewer with courtesy and respect. Don’t constantly interrupt the interviewer. Make eye contact and show that you are actively participating in the process. Ask questions to show that you are curious and want to learn more about the opportunity.
Salary Discussions
The HR professional and others involved with the process understand that job seekers have a long list of requirements—ranging from receiving the highest amount of money possible, their choice of work style (including remote, hybrid, relocation with the same pay) and an array of benefits and perks. They understand if the company isn’t competitive, they’ll lose candidates to their competition.
Feel free to ask about compensation. Keep in mind that while discussing pay packages, you don’t want to come across as a mercenary—only in it for the money. By being overly aggressive in negotiations, you run the risk of alienating everyone involved, as they’ll believe you’ll quickly move onto another role to get an additional boost in pay.
Maintain A Balancing Act
It's a delicate balance. Put yourself in the place of the hiring manager. Think of how you’d feel if you experienced people that were too pushy and aggressive.
The goal is to know that you have the power in this current market without obviously flaunting it. Play the game. Remain humble while extolling your virtues. Treat everyone you interact with during the hiring process with courtesy and respect. Feel free to go after what you desire, with regards to pay and work-style preferences and benefits, in a positive manner.
There is no reason to disrespect the interviewers by being arrogant, disinterested, arriving late to a meeting and ghosting people. This behavior will backfire and you'll only have yourself to blame for blowing the opportunity.
