Career Cube Blog

Yes siree, you did read that right. You, as the candidate, have the right to walk out of a job interview.

Oh my gosh, (Some of you are thinking) that seems so RUDE, so WRONG!

I’m not saying that you abruptly stand up and walk out of the interviewer’s office without any explanation. What I am saying is that if the position doesn’t meet what you’re looking for, and you know-beyond a shadow of a doubt-that you wouldn’t take the job even IF it was offered to you, then you can politely tell the interviewer this: “It doesn’t sound like I would be a good fit for what you’re looking for in this position. I’m sure that you have other work that you’d like to get back to, so I’d be fine ending the interview now. I really appreciate your time and the opportunity to meet with you and the team.”

They will be stunned because a very, very small percentage of people do this. They may even try to convince you that you would be the right person (because you always want what you can’t have). In their eyes you will look like a confident, polished professional, and everyone wants one of those working for them. However, you should stick to your guns and let them escort you to the door. Here’s a few questions I know are running through your mind:

Why can’t I use this tactic on jobs that I really want as a negotiation tactic?

Because it sets up a weird dynamic between you and the hiring manager. Let’s lay it out: They got your resume and thought you’d be a fit, then did a phone screen and you passed that criteria. When you come in for an in-person interview and they describe the position to you and you meet a few of the people, you announce to them that you don’t think you’d be a good fit for the job (but you really think you are). They are impressed by this tactic and their reflex action is to immediately go into selling you on the position. You reluctantly acquiesce and agree to continue the interview process. They decide to make you an offer, and you accept. The problem is that at some point the concept of buyer’s remorse is going to come into play. Buyer’s remorse is what you get after you make a purchase (typically of a high-ticket or impulse item, but it can happen on well-researched average purchases too). After they make you the offer, they’ll think back to your reluctance to even continue the job interview. It was such an odd move that it will definitely stick out in their mind. When you start, they’ll wonder what you know about your abilities that doesn’t make you a fit, and why they didn’t pick up on it. It stands a strong chance of putting you under more pressure to succeed than you normally would be if you didn’t mock-walk out. I’m not saying that it’s guaranteed to fail, but that it would be an incredibly risky move.

Why shouldn’t I just stick it out?

You can, and hope that it will get better or that there is another open position at the company. There’s nothing wrong with that. But if you ever find yourself in a completely dead-end interview-because you’re not qualified for or interested in the job, or if your new boss is definitely someone you wouldn’t be able to work for, why waste your time and theirs? As long as you are polite, you can take control of the situation and leave.

Why don’t they just tell me to leave?

Because companies aren’t used to doing that either. They are hoping that there’s something in your background that will still make you viable-you hold all the secrets to your experiences. They don’t know that you are definitely not qualified-only YOU know that. When I was a hiring manager I spent more time with some candidates than others. If I didn’t think they’d be a good fit with me, either personally or experience-wise, I’d only talk to them for about ½ hour, and not introduce them to my boss or colleagues. I would try to dig as deeply as I could into who they are and what they had done, but if I didn’t hear what I was looking for, then I politely walked them out. If they asked, I would have told them that I had some concerns about this not being a good fit for them-and then stress the fact that as much as I’m sure they’d like a new job, if it’s a bad fit it’ll end up being a nightmare for everyone in a few months.

So keep this in mind the next time you interview. You have power, you have control. You’re not at the mercy of the hiring manager to find a reason why you’re a good candidate for their job. If it won’t work, and you know it won’t work, then follow the script above and move onto the next opportunity.

Popularity: 4% [?]

That which you give attention to, grows.

Don’t believe me? Try an experiment. For three weeks, constantly think about how tired you are and how you need a break. Think it, say it to everyone, write it down, sigh in exasperation, complain, and hope something happens to give you the break you so badly need. Then notice how you break your leg and have to rest for the next six weeks. Notice how nicely the universe gave you exactly what you asked for (break - break? get it?)

Then, for the next six weeks, while you’re taking it easy on your broken leg, repeat to yourself over and over, while you’re driving in your car, brushing your teeth, getting the mail, sitting on hold: “Great things happen to me! I’m a very lucky person!” And while you’re at it, three times/day, write it down 10x each time. Then watch all the cool stuff that happens.

All of you pooh-poohing me stop and think a minute about all the unconscious phrases and beliefs you subscribe to without even knowing it. Everyone who says the following - or similar - and notices how frequently and constantly you’re always wondering why these things are so, raise your hand:

1. I can’t believe I’m always doing such stupid things!
2. This day started off badly and it just keeps getting worse!
3. Why am I always losing things?
4. I’m so bad with names!

A-HA! Now you know why all those things happen. Becuase you’re giving so much attention to what is, that it stays that way. Here’s what’s happening:

1. You’re doing such stupid things becuase you perpetuate in believing you do stupid things. When you decide that you’re sick of doing “stupid” things and choose to change the situation by reframing how you see it, then you’ll stop doing “stupid” things.
2. Some guy cut you off in traffic and you got all ticked off about it. Then what happened? You stayed that way…because you chose to. Because you wanted to! Hang with me here…part of you likes it! You have a great story to tell when you get to work (”the injustice of people - can you believe what he did to me?”). Drama works for a lot of people. Bad days make for good drama. So the bad keeps getting dwelt on and thus keeps happening, until for some reason, you decide to snap out of it when something “made” you happy.
3. See #1. When you’re tired of losing things, you’ll start paying attention to where you put them. You’ll also notice that if you still lose them, it’s because you’re not paying attention to where you put them. When you decide you’re tired of looking for things, then you’ll start paying attention and won’t spend so much time in the drama of cussing out the item you’re looking for becuase you can’t find it and you’re in a hurry or whatever.
4. See #1 and #3. Pay attention. Repeat the name. Stop using that phrase as an excuse.

What do all these things have in common? Choice. You control your thoughts, you control your choices, you control your actions, you control the results.

What we’re talking about is energy. Everything is made up of energy; but let’s focus on you. Your thoughts project it, your words create it, your mood is suffused with it. When you like the drama of losing something or getting cut off in traffic, you bring more of that type of thing to you because that’s what you want. You look for ways to create it. You don’t even know you’re doing it.

Self sabotage is the same principle. Ever dated someone who believed they didn’t deserve you? And kept telling you that? They were afraid you’d leave, right? So what did they do? They kept asking you were you’d been, asking you if you love them, putting themself down and fishing for compliments until finally…….you said, “ENOUGH! I’m OUTTA here!”

And what they were afraid of is exactly what happened…..it’s exactly what they created. That’s what they wanted, that’s what they thought about, that’s what they go. You. Going. Out the door.

How does this apply to your job search? Are you uttering “I’ll never find a job!”? Then stop it. Look at what’s going wrong and if you don’t know what it is - and you probably don’t or it wouldn’t be happening - then find someone who can tell you.

When it comes to finding your perfect job, first you have to believe there is such a thing as your perfect job. You can’t find it if you don’t believe it exists. Makes sense, yes?

Secondly, some things involve technique and understanding of the process. You can believe all you want to that you can remodel your bathroom, but if you don’t know how to do it, it’s not going to happen (not like you see it in your head, anyway!) unless you learn the proper technique. Finding a job is no exception despite more than half the universe believing the complete opposite.

But if you believe you can find it, then your head starts looking for ways to make that happen. It begins to find ways to create it. You become open to new ideas and possibilities. You become more open to the possibility of problems so that you can find solutions. You become more focused on what you want instead of desperate for anything, becuase the very definition of “perfect” job excludes “any” job. By default, if you believe you can find your perfect job, you’ll begin to define what your perfect job is, and ignore anything that isn’t that.

What’s the moral of this story? Pay attention to what you think, what you believe, and what you say. The way things are is because you want them that way. Consciously, or more likely unconsciouly, you you made that choice. If you don’t like what you’re getting, then choose what you want and make sure your thoughts, actions, beliefs, and words match up.

That which you give attention to, grows.

Popularity: 8% [?]