Unfortunately we know that bad far outweighs the good. People remember “bad” longer than they remember “good.”
Just this week, I had a candidate, who in spite of his excellent track record (good), couldn’t remember what his sales quota or earnings were three years ago. The hiring authority recognized that the guy had a really good track record but he kept saying, “What salesperson doesn’t remember his quota or his sales earnings, even if it was three years ago?”
Well the truth is, lots of people don’t remember what their quota was or their earnings were three years ago. The candidate had not interviewed in three years. Admittedly, he should’ve been prepared for that question, but he brought all kinds of documentation about his success. And after all, are we looking for track record?
But as we’ve stated before, people are so afraid of making a mistake, they find the smallest things to make judgments about. And 99% of those “smallest things” are going to be negative ones. This is the reason why candidates have to almost interview perfectly. It’s rather sad. And it is not right, but that is the way that it is.
If you’re a candidate, looking for a job remember that the (perceived) bad always outweighs the (perceived) good. The smallest thing… not dressing properly, not presenting yourself well, talking too much, talking to little, not answering questions well, not asking good questions, not taking notes, not asking for the job, etc. can cost you the job.
I know it’s not fair… but life isn’t fair.
