Things You Don't Say in an Interview
I did a phone interview this evening of a full-time actuarial candidate with a year of experience at another company. The interview was going somewhat ok for the first twenty minutes. The candidate was able to communicate some decent examples. Although I had some doubt, I was still at least considering the possibility that I might recommend the candidate for a home office interview.
Then we started talking about his first full-time job. I found it odd that his resume said that he worked there until March 2008. Although I originally thought the candidate started applying for new jobs in March, it was clear that I was calling him in a location that was different from where he was working (I was calling him in Canada and his job was in the US). I figured he was no longer employed, which can be a red flag. I decided to ask why the candidate was looking for a new job, and he mentioned that he was let go from his first employer.
Getting let go from an employer is definitely concerning, but there are plenty of plausible explanations. I knew I needed to follow up, so I asked if his employer was simply laying off employees for some reason (very leading question...a poor interview technique). Since the candidate was only there for a year, it's perfectly plausible that he was laid off since he had the least experience, even though from experience I know that those selected for layoffs are usually targeted more for their abilities than because their specific role was no longer deemed necessary. That's when the candidate provided me with the biggest red flag I've encountered for a candidate that I ever seriously considered:
"They told me that I was not a good fit". Wow. I gave him a chance to elaborate, but he declined. Essentially, I believe he was fired for doing a poor job. Definitely not something you want to say to a potential employer unless you are prepared to elaborate. There will a million lies I would have believed since the candidate seemed competent.
While I could have looked past that if the interview was fantastic (since I did appreciate the honesty), it was definitely a deal breaker in this situation for a borderline candidate. First time someone ever admitted to me in an interview that 1) they were let go from an actuarial job and 2) it was for poor performance
Then we started talking about his first full-time job. I found it odd that his resume said that he worked there until March 2008. Although I originally thought the candidate started applying for new jobs in March, it was clear that I was calling him in a location that was different from where he was working (I was calling him in Canada and his job was in the US). I figured he was no longer employed, which can be a red flag. I decided to ask why the candidate was looking for a new job, and he mentioned that he was let go from his first employer.
Getting let go from an employer is definitely concerning, but there are plenty of plausible explanations. I knew I needed to follow up, so I asked if his employer was simply laying off employees for some reason (very leading question...a poor interview technique). Since the candidate was only there for a year, it's perfectly plausible that he was laid off since he had the least experience, even though from experience I know that those selected for layoffs are usually targeted more for their abilities than because their specific role was no longer deemed necessary. That's when the candidate provided me with the biggest red flag I've encountered for a candidate that I ever seriously considered:
"They told me that I was not a good fit". Wow. I gave him a chance to elaborate, but he declined. Essentially, I believe he was fired for doing a poor job. Definitely not something you want to say to a potential employer unless you are prepared to elaborate. There will a million lies I would have believed since the candidate seemed competent.
While I could have looked past that if the interview was fantastic (since I did appreciate the honesty), it was definitely a deal breaker in this situation for a borderline candidate. First time someone ever admitted to me in an interview that 1) they were let go from an actuarial job and 2) it was for poor performance
posted by GaryGinew at 7:26 PM
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