Published on: Friday, April 01, 2011

Reading Between the Lines

Posted By: Robyn Greenspan
Filed Under: robyn greenspan, hiring, interview, opportunity, candidate, job, april fool, offer

Comments (8)

Did you get any good pranks played on you today? Or perhaps you were the prankster?

On April Fool's Day, things are not always as they seem, and the same can sometimes be true on job interviews. (See our blog post When Bad Interviews Happen to Good Candidates and the dozens of comments for proof.) My colleague Laura Magnuson, who works closely with our recruiter members, and I were recently talking about the typical phrases said at job interviews and what might have been heard. Hope you find a few laughs ahead and nothing that hits too close to home.

Candidate to Interviewer:

What was said: I'm a very fast learner.
What was heard: I don�t have the experience you're looking for.

What was said: I would change positions for the right opportunity.
What was heard: Make me an offer.

What was said: I've been an independent business consultant for the past two years.
What was heard: I�ve been out of work for two years.

What was said: I'd rather not talk about salary yet.
What was heard: I�m hoping you make me an offer before I have to disclose my low salary.

What was said: I left my last position because I wasn't being challenged enough.
What was heard: My last company didn�t trust me with the higher level responsibilities.

What was said: I'll get back to you with the names and contact information for my references.
What was heard: I have to call around first and tell people what I want them to say.

What was said: My leadership style is very honest and very direct.
What was heard: I' m abrasive, have no tact and don't get along well with people.

What was said: I'm a perfectionist and very detail-oriented.
What was heard: I'm a micromanager and don�t trust anyone on my team.

Interviewer to Candidate:

What was said: This is a very hands-on position.
What was heard: You'll have limited resources and be expected to do things that are beneath you.

What was said: You have an extensive work history and are highly overqualified.
What was heard: We're looking for someone younger and less expensive.

What was said: Thank you for coming in today; we have a few more people to see and then we'll get back to you.
What was heard: You won't hear from us again.

While this was obviously written in the spirit of April Fool's Day, it underscores the importance of being able to clearly articulate your value. A résumé, online profile, networking referral or personal marketing documents will get you in the door, but the interview can get you the offer so the way you communicate is critical.

Can you share any examples where what was said was not what was heard and what happened?

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Robyn Greenspan's avatar Robyn Greenspan
Robyn Greenspan is the Editor-in-Chief at ExecuNet, where she is responsible for setting and driving the editorial content engagement strategy across the private business network's publications and expert-led programming. She is also a Huffington Post blogger. You can follow her on Twitter @RobynGreenspan

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Posted by Grieraliowl
10/24 @ 05:05 AM

I m glad i found ur blog.Not everyone can provide information with proper flow. Good post. I am going to save the URL and will definitely visit again. Keep it up. thank you!

Posted by Jeanette Baz
10/19 @ 09:32 PM

I found this site through worklife group and found this helpful.

Posted by Dolores Maminski
04/04 @ 12:06 PM

Interviewer: This position requires schedule flexibility.
What the candidate hears: I can make my own schedule.

Posted by BridalConsultant
04/03 @ 02:28 PM

What a riot! And so true!
Here's a couple I've learned the hard way:

Company: We embrace our rich heritage!
Employee: We worship old people...and you're not old...so expect to be way down the food chain.

Company: Your earning potential is unlimited with a little effort!
Employee: Expect pay for performance to screw you!

Company: Enjoy working flexible hours!
Employee: Suffer closing late then opening early frequently. Plus, now introducing working holidays!

Company: We empower our employees!
Employee: Management is incapable of leadership and you can do everything yourself. Good luck!

Posted by john burke
04/01 @ 03:39 PM

What was said " Can you work some weekends?"

What was heard " Nobody else will work weekends so that's what you will be doing"

Posted by Donna Friedman
04/01 @ 02:01 PM

Client to the Search Consultant:

What the Client said: Please keep him warm
What the Search Consultant heard: He's toasted!

Candidate to Search Consultant:
What the candidate said: Let me just close
my door.
What the Search Consultant heard: We got a hot one!

Posted by Robyn Greenspan
04/01 @ 12:12 PM

Good ones, David! As a recruiter, I'm sure you've heard quite a bit and are very adept at reading between the lines.

Posted by David Perry
04/01 @ 11:52 AM

Communication is everything of course. Here are a few of my favorites that are open to interpretation.

AD SAID: Dedicated team player
WHAT THEY REALLY MEANT WAS � I�m the boss and you�re going to be working for me!

AD SAID:Creative Work Environment
WHAT THEY REALLY MEANT WAS � we don�t have a lot of money to give you but we sure have fun together on the weekend!

AD SAID:Negotiable With experience
WHAT THEY REALLY MEANT WAS � we haven�t a clue what to pay you so we�re hopping you can tell us.