Pounding the pavement? You hold all the cards. According to a 2014 MRINetwork recruitment sentiment study, 83 percent of participating recruiters describe the current employment market as candidate-driven. Still, not every employer understands that, and some job interviews can go terribly wrong — and we don’t mean because the job candidate said something inappropriate. Read on for job-seekers’ own tales of interviews gone horribly awry — and how to handle them when they implode.
The confidentiality breacher
When Violet Smith* interviewed for a hedge fund marketing job in Chelsea this fall, the prospective employer pushed for her investors’ names as references. Initially reluctant, she acquiesced — with a caveat. “I told them to be confidential with names, because they’re invested in my firm,” says the 30-year-old.
Lo and behold, an investor called out the Midtown resident by saying, “We just got a call from this company asking about you. I guess we can assume you’re looking for another job.” Annoyed, Smith landed the gig but promptly rejected it. “There’s a way of doing business,” she says, “and that firm just breached that.”
The solution: Tony Beshara, author of “Acing the Interview,” says revealing the name of private investors (or references, period) isn’t always foolproof — and she’s lucky the investor didn’t call her boss.
“Say, ‘Why would you need that?’ ” suggests Beshara. “ ‘Should we get to an offer, I will provide references.’ ” Breaking trust is a huge red flag. “Any company that would do that when you’re a candidate will do much worse if you’re an employee,” he adds.
The EEOC offender
Screenwriter and film producer David Jay Lasky was thoroughly appalled in August when he experienced a triple violation in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission handbook.
During an interview to teach filmmaking at a Midtown nonprofit, the employer asked point-blank if he is Jewish and gay, as well as his age. “He had no manners and was extremely brazen and rude,” recalls Lasky. Astonished, the filmmaker responded to the interrogation.
“His audacity was deeply horrifying,” Lasky quips. And no, he didn’t accept the job offer. Although he decided to move on and not pursue legal action, Lasky says the employer will get what’s coming to him: “Karma is a bitch.”
The solution: Lasky handled himself well, says Beshara. The author suggests saying, “I don’t have a problem answering these questions, but tell me, how do they apply to the job?” It’s a softer alternative to an outright refusal to answer the question — which will label you a “dead in the water” job candidate.
The boy who cried wolf
Little did Lynn Anderson* know that, when she interviewed for a benefits-manager role at a tech startup last summer, she was getting on the hot seat — literally. “In the middle of the interview, the animated HR director started yelling, ‘Fire! Fire! We need to evacuate!’ ” recalls Anderson. “It was so bizarre,” she says, “especially since the fire alarm didn’t go off.”
The 33-year-old Upper East Sider dialed 911 — a futile effort, since two prospective co-workers ran into the office moments later proclaiming, “False alarm!”
Anderson was not amused. “I was duped,” she says. “It was really hard to concentrate, but it didn’t matter, because I decided I’d never want to work there.” The director explained he uses this tactic to assess reactions.
As for her reaction? She withdrew her candidacy the next morning.
The solution: “Expect the unexpected,” says Jacqueline Whitmore, etiquette expert and author of “Poised for Success.” Whitmore points out it’s unfair to make candidates feel this uncomfortable — even if they’re gauging how job-seekers react. She adds, “Say, ‘I’m rattled, I’ll do my best to answer.’ ”
The rude interrogators
There’s no excuse for bad behavior — but when there’s a group interview, the odds increase. In 2011, school principal Lori DiMarco-Evanko was flabbergasted while pursuing a high-school principal role in The Bronx.
DiMarco-Evanko recalls parents, a principal from another school and the teachers’ union representative surrounding a conference room table. “They would say something loud enough that I could hear them but low enough that I could not make out the words, and look directly at me, snicker and laugh,” she says.
The solution: Whitmore says to rely on your gut and pursue other opportunities. “They’re not giving you respect, and they’re not giving it to people with whom they work,” says the expert.
* Names have been changed.