Welcome to Ask Gorick Anything, Edition #48.
This week's question is: “How to help a job seeker who gets interviews but no offers?”
Keep reading to find out.
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ASK GORICK ANYTHING
“How to help a job seeker who gets interviews but no offers?”
Use these 2 exercises to diagnose any underlying issues and prepare more effectively.
THE QUESTION
“How do I help someone who has been unemployed for 9 months from the footwear industry(sneakers) and who gets interviews and is still getting interviews but who has not found a. job. I think that they should pivot to another industry. ”
—Sandra M. from Freeport, NY
GORICK’S RESPONSE
Hi Sandra,
To anyone who’s struggling to get a job, my first instinct is to ask:
- Is this a resume problem?
- Is this a networking problem?
- Is this an interview problem?
I ask because…
- If someone isn’t getting interviews, it's probably because (a) their resume isn’t good enough, or (b) it was, but the interview went to someone better networked.
- If someone is getting interviews but not job offers, they were probably good enough resume- and networking-wise, but someone interviewed better and got the job.
Of course, someone with a stronger resume and connections could still get hired over someone who otherwise performed better in the interview room.
But the fact that the person you’re helping is consistently getting interviews but not offers indicates to me that they have an interview problem, not a resume or networking problem.
If what I’m sharing feels more right than wrong, let’s continue (and if not, please send me a follow-up email if I misread or misdiagnosed the situation at all!).
There are 2 parts to every interview:
- The behavioral interview
- The job-specific interview
BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEW:
Before your mentee gives up, I’d do a mock interview with them and ask them the following questions:
- “Tell me about yourself”
- “Why you?”
- “Why this role?”
- “Why our firm?”
- “Where do you see yourself in the future?”
Next, I’d ask myself: “Does this person sound Competent, Committed, and Compatible (defined here) enough for me to hire them?”
If my answer is “no” or “not sure”, then I’d have them rethink the substance and delivery of their responses until my answer is “hell yes!”
Why do this exercise?
These are the most commonly asked questions at the start of any interview. And first impressions matter! So, if an interviewee can’t convince their interviewer of their Three C’s from the get-go, the interviewer is unlikely to be interested enough to even pay attention to the rest of the interview.
JOB-SPECIFIC INTERVIEW:
Assuming your mentee has “hell yes’ed” you with their fit interview answers, their next step is to wow you again with their answers to your job-specific questions (often called a “case interview,” “case study,” “situational interview,” or “technical interview”).
Every job type has its quirks, so I won’t be able to explain how to master every type of interview here.
But! No matter the job type, here’s what I’d do to prepare for the job-specific interview:
- Google “most common interview questions and answers” + [role] + [industry / company]
- Open up all the relevant tabs
- Copy and paste the questions and answers into a document
- Use this question bank to test myself
Or, if you’re an AI user, ask your favorite AI tool this:
- “I’m interviewing for [role] in [industry] at companies like [insert examples]. Give me the 100 most common technical interview questions I can expect to be asked, the best answers, and why.”
(Note: AI can “hallucinate”, i.e., make up stuff that doesn’t exist—see an interesting article about this below!—so, when in doubt while using an LLM, i.e., a Large Language Model, be sure to click on “Sources” and make sure that whatever questions you’re seeing can be traced back to a half-reputable source.)
Hope this helps get your mentee moving again!
See you next Tuesday for our next story and unspoken rule,
Gorick
Want me to answer your own career question?
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WHAT I’M READING
Here are 3 articles that I found interesting recently (no paywalls, although it may depend on your cookies):
- “AI hallucinates because it’s trained to fake answers it doesn’t know” (Science)
- “Why the midlife crisis for Millennials looks different from elder generations” (NPR)
- "How social norms evolved over time and differ across countries” (Phys Org)
MORE OF MY WORK
Every newsletter is free and a fraction of my work. Here are 3 of my paid offerings that may interest you:
1. Keynote speaking: If your organization is looking for speakers for your internship program, new hire orientation, new student orientation, manager training, all-hands meetings, recruiting season, year-end performance evaluation season, or something else, let's chat!
2. How to Say It: Flashcards that teach you to know what to say in every high-stakes professional setting via hundreds of fill-in-the-blank scripts (just like the examples above). Free shipping on all orders over $40.
3. The Unspoken Rules: My Wall Street Journal Bestseller that Arianna Huffington calls “a blueprint for anyone starting their career, entering a new role, or wanting to get unstuck.” Used by top companies and MBA programs.
