CEO reveals the worst job interview response he’s ever heard
This is a snippet from the weekly CNBC Make It Work newsletter, written by Ashton Jackson.
I’ve often been told to be as honest as possible during job interviews, especially about my work experience, industry connections and professional goals. There’s always gray area, however, with more personal questions. How honest is too honest when talking about my life outside of work?
Daniel Haarburger, the CEO of Denver-based dog toy company Woof likes to ask job candidates, “What does your day-to-day life look like?” One interviewee gave him a pretty jarring answer, he tells me: “Life’s a hot-mess express right now. It’s pretty wild.”
“I was like, well, that’s not how you want to start an interview,” says Haarburger, who’s hired for more than 50 different roles since launching his company in 2019. “So that [interview] didn’t go too well. That was someone blatantly saying, ‘I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.’”
If your life feels like a hot mess — whether you’re frustrated with your job or overwhelmed outside of work — consider how you’re addressing the situation. Focus on this in your response, advises Tom Gimbel, CEO of LaSalle Network and hiring expert. He suggests saying something like, “My day-to-day life is pretty busy, because I have [X] responsibilities. I’m managing them with scheduling strategies like [Y].”
That kind of answer helps you be honest about something you can improve on, while actively showcasing your ability to work on your shortcomings, Gimbel says.
Check out the full story for more of Haarburger's job interview advice.
Recommended by LinkedIn
Are you nervous about negotiating a higher salary, and unsure of precisely what to ask or how to make your case?
We’re going to teach you how to do just that. CNBC Make It just launched a new online course, which will show you the right way to ask your boss for a raise and gain the skills you need to get a bigger paycheck.
Register now and use the code EARLYBIRD to save 50% with a limited-time offer: https://cnb.cx/3NjyueU
More from CNBC:
As someone that has interviewed hundreds of people, honesty is essential in job interviews, but it should always be tempered with relevance and discretion. People should understand that when discussing your life outside of work, focus on aspects that highlight transferable skills, values, or qualities that align with the role or company culture. For example, mentioning hobbies that demonstrate discipline, creativity, or teamwork can be advantageous. However, overly personal details or polarizing topics that don’t contribute to your professional narrative can detract from your candidacy. Remember, the goal is not just to be honest but to present a version of yourself that aligns with the opportunity while maintaining your authenticity. Very insightful, CNBC Make It CNBC ‼️👏🏽
(Junior) Backend Software Developer at Accenture Federal Services
1moWhat a rotten thing for that CEO to do. The entire purpose of an interview is to extract relevant information from the candidate, with the intent of using that info to see if they are the best candidate for the job. So already, the question is weird at best. Are you basing your hiring decisions on whether or not their day-to-day life is up to your liking? Their day-to-day life should have no impact on their job. And if it does, the onus is on the candidate to disclose that ASAP. Failing to do so is a breach of trust, to the point of being blatantly dishonest. And then, when the candidate answers your question honestly and respectfully, you respond by criticizing them for doing exactly that? An interview REQUIRES a certain amount of trust. There are so many candidates that will RUTHLESSLY lie to your face. And here comes one who, not only entertains your weird-at-best question, but they give a vulnerable answer when they could have papered it over. This CEO's interview tactics are terrible. Not only are they throwing away perfectly good candidates, they are poisoning the well for everyone by deincentivizing honesty in an environment that is so prone to dishonesty. It's disgusting what this CEO is doing.
Senior DevOps Engineer and Atlassian Expert
1moAt the end of the day, all of you should learn about trading so you are not a slave to some guy in a suit at an interview. Lets give this guy a round of applause for rejecting someone that was likely productive but didn't know their middle management mentality.
What if your goal is to clown clowns and story tellers with my own clown story's?
Partner and co-Founder, Brand Squared Licensing
1moDaniel Haarburger co-workers will attest that I used to say that when I was young. Because I did. You live and you learn. The most effective and earnest way to answer that question is to explain that you wake up with goals in mind. Really big ones, weekly ones, and daily ones. It’s a mental to do list and a mindset that is much more effectual than any software app on one’s phone. Even when the daily goals are as granular as cooking ground beef for the dog, nuance a presentation for a new client and telling your youngest child that she’s gonna rock the world on her test today. Sooner or later at the end of the day you take stock subconsciously in tallying up what you did get accomplished or otherwise. Most of the time you don’t get everything accomplished. And so the goals sharpen for the following day. I believe one can say that even when her or his life is a hot mess. Because guess what. Everyone’s is. :)