Landing a job interview is a big deal, but making the wrong impression on the hiring manager can kill your chances before you even realize it. With competition fierce and hiring managers pressed for time, even minor missteps can be deal-breakers. If you’re not aware of how you’re coming across, you might unknowingly sabotage your own success. That’s why it’s crucial to understand what hiring managers are really looking for—and what drives them away.
I’m a big fan of the X-Men comic books and have always loved the powers of Dr. Charles Xavier, who is telepathic. Who wouldn’t want the ability to instantly read a person’s mind and affect their behavior? This skill would come in extremely handy during interviews with hiring managers, many of whom seem to belong squarely to the school of “say little and express even less.” You walk out of the room (or close your laptop) wondering, Did that go well? Were they interested? Did I say something wrong? It can feel like a guessing game where the rules keep changing.
While we don’t have the luxury of mind reading, we do have the next best thing: knowing the red flags that send hiring managers running. Here are five ways to turn off a hiring manager and ruin your chances of getting the job—so you can avoid them at all costs.
1. Lack Of Specificity In Your Resume
A big mistake job seekers make is submitting overly general resumes. This makes sense in theory. After all, the more applications you can shoot off, the more interviews, right? But this can really turn off a hiring manager, who wants to know exactly how your background will enable you to tackle the problems they need to be solved. Clichés just won’t cut it at this stage.
Here’s what you should do instead:
- Create a shortlist of 5-10 positions you’re an ideal fit for.
- Study the job postings for positions like this, as well as LinkedIn profiles for people who currently have these jobs.
- Tailor your resume to communicate your fit for these roles.
Once you have a solid framework in place, include metrics-based, quantifiable accomplishments on your resume for every major position you’ve held that proves your ability to execute.
Here’s an example: Saved global Telecom company $500M over 2 years through development and deployment of end-to-end Complexity Reduction methodology resulting in purchasing and inventory efficiencies.
2. Too Aggressive About Career Advancement
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Look, it’s great to be ambitious. And, of course, the job you’re after today is probably not the one you want to retire on. But you need to place your focus squarely on becoming the ideal candidate for this job before even talking about the next step. Neglect to do this, and a hiring manager will naturally start thinking that you might jump ship within a year, and they’ll be back to square one.
Create a short “value presentation” for the interview that talks about how your three to four strongest skills can be applied immediately towards helping the company—adding value, solving problems, and alleviating pain. It’s similar to a 30-60-90 day plan. Get creative here!
For example, if you’re going after a product development position, why not run some quick usability tests on a company’s products, document them, and develop some design suggestions?
3. Too Open About Weaknesses
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A hiring manager is not a career counselor. With the latter, it’s perfectly fine to be honest about vulnerabilities in your personality or “pet peeves” that drive you crazy in the work environment. But if you take the same approach with a hiring manager and confide things like you have trouble balancing family responsibilities with workplace demands, you’ll most likely get passed over.
They’re not only looking to find the best candidate. They also need to manage risk.
Learn how to “spin” negatives into something that ultimately leads to success. For example, if you’re asked what your greatest weakness is, you can tell a story about how you once had chronic shyness and needed 30 minutes to “amp yourself” up for a simple phone call, and now, through courage and repeated exposure, you can handle dozens of calls with high-level clients per day. Negative to positive.
This is also known as the “Experience + Learn = Grow” model, which is the best way to answer behavioral interview questions. You should definitely learn this strategy before your next job interview.
4. Not Following Up
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Following up matters! It shows that you’re truly invested in landing the position and aren’t just treating it as one of many potential opportunities.
We recommend emailing everyone you met at the company within 24 hours of your interview thanking them for the opportunity, followed by an email sent a week later (avoid sending it on Mondays) that essentially continues the conversation—adding greater detail to questions raised, sharing an industry article of interest, and so on.
You’re making it clear that the interview was the beginning of an ongoing relationship, no matter the outcome of the interview process.
5. Lack Of Enthusiasm
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If a hiring manager has to choose between the most qualified candidate on paper and a less qualified candidate who brings genuine passion to the table, they’ll go for the latter every time. You can teach someone almost anything except enthusiasm.
So, if you have a personal connection with the company you’re interviewing for and believe that this is a meaningful step in your life’s ambitions, or simply love the unique culture they’ve developed, take time in the interview to let them know!
It also doesn’t hurt to explicitly state, “I’m very interested in this position and would love to see a positive outcome,” or something similar. Excitement fuels job offers!
Making the five mistakes above will ruin your chances with a hiring manager every time. To secure your chances of getting the job, be sure to tailor your resume, create a 30-60-90 day plan, learn how to answer behavioral interview questions, follow up after the job interview, and state your enthusiasm for the position.
It’ll be impossible to ruin your chances with a hiring manager with that strategy.
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