Thursday, January 20, 2005
Two things you don't want to do...
I was at a recruiting event tonight discussing the overall interview process with a couple of higher-up company people when they relayed a couple of things that had gotten other applicants in trouble. One applicant was from HBS, another from Duke.
The HBS person apparently skipped out on the info session but tried to cover it up in her cover letter by complimenting the main speaker on his message. Unfortunately, the main speaker had cancelled at the last minute and had been replaced with someone else. That is a sure-fire way to not get an interview.
The Duke person was actually interviewed and chosen by the interviewer to be brought back for a second round. Unfortunately, HR nixed his choice because that candidate had sent e-mails to people who were supposed to attend an event but weren't able to make it, telling them how much he had enjoyed speaking with them. Again, a good way to lose out on a summer job.
Of course, one could argue that these people wouldn't have had a good chance anyway, given that they skipped events. That's probably true, but as I learned from the Martha Stewart case, it's better to be honest about something that may not be held against you than to cover it up and get busted for lying.
The HBS person apparently skipped out on the info session but tried to cover it up in her cover letter by complimenting the main speaker on his message. Unfortunately, the main speaker had cancelled at the last minute and had been replaced with someone else. That is a sure-fire way to not get an interview.
The Duke person was actually interviewed and chosen by the interviewer to be brought back for a second round. Unfortunately, HR nixed his choice because that candidate had sent e-mails to people who were supposed to attend an event but weren't able to make it, telling them how much he had enjoyed speaking with them. Again, a good way to lose out on a summer job.
Of course, one could argue that these people wouldn't have had a good chance anyway, given that they skipped events. That's probably true, but as I learned from the Martha Stewart case, it's better to be honest about something that may not be held against you than to cover it up and get busted for lying.
