QUESTION: I'm afraid I may have screwed up an interview for a really good job. Everything was fine until the recruiter asked, "What do you do in your spare time?" The question caught me off guard, because no interviewer has ever asked me that. After thinking for a minute, I mentioned a couple of activities that are perfectly legitimate, but not as noble as volunteering at a soup kitchen.
Despite meeting all the requirements in the job description, I was not offered the position, and I believe my "free time" response was the reason. The interview was going extremely well until that point, so I have to assume that my answer did not meet their standards.
I am quite disappointed, because this job seemed tailor-made for me. What do you think about this?
ANSWER: As any human resources manager can tell you, there are a million reasons why a qualified applicant may not get the job. For one thing, managers are frequently choosing from a number of experienced candidates, especially in the current job market.
Perhaps another applicant had superior qualifications, or maybe someone else was a better match for the manager's personality. For all you know, the job might have been filled by the CEO's brother-in-law. Unfortunately, there's really no way to find out.
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I feel fairly certain, however, that unless you said something truly bizarre, your "spare time" answer was not the deciding factor. If you were clearly the top candidate, a mundane hobby would be immaterial, so you can stop beating yourself up for preferring movies to disaster work.
Interviewers do need to remember that exploring personal pastimes can be risky. Should an applicant mention activities involving a legally protected group -- such as race, religion, or national origin -- the result could be a discrimination charge if the person is ultimately rejected.
Q: About a month ago, the owner of our company removed me from my position as division manager and brought in an outside hire. Although "Jeff" is clearly unqualified for the job, I am now reporting to him.
Jeff does not understand our business, but he tries to impress the owner by asking for unnecessary reports and copying him on every e-mail. I am becoming increasingly angry, because I do not feel that Jeff should be my boss. How can I convince the owner that this guy is basically worthless?
A: Your anger may be leading you straight down the path to career suicide. By criticizing Jeff's fitness for the job, you are automatically criticizing the owner's decision-making ability. Having hired Jeff only a month ago, the owner is unlikely to view his choice as a mistake and may eventually conclude that you are the problem.
For now, your wisest strategy is to develop a positive relationship with Jeff, while looking for opportunities to demonstrate your own ability. In short, you need to make yourself look good instead of trying to make him look bad.
