If You Name Something As An Issue, It Just Became One

If You Name Something As An Issue,
It Just Became One

If you bring up a potential drawback in the job-hunting process, you automatically bring it to the forefront and make it into a true drawback.

The lady doth protest too much, methinks. We all know what that lady’s protestations accomplished. She attracted attention to the problem.

Candidates seem to do their best to unwittingly bring issues to the forefront. Age is one of the most common. The 56-year-old does this either by talking about how the has way more maturity than a 38-year-old, or he names his age as an issue in another way – by deliberately obscuring it. He leaves dates and early jobs off his resume, which immediately makes anyone but the biggest dope on earth start thinking that this guy is concerned about his age.

If you make your age an issue in any way, then your interviewer’s conclusion will be that age IS an issue for you ... i.e., that your self image and energy level are of an OLD person ... and people shy away from someone older who FEELS older.

Other times, a candidate will go into great detail to excuse their being unemployed … why they got fired … why they job hopped ... or about health issues.

By doing so, you shift attention away from your strengths and directly to your potential drawbacks. And the more time you spend excusing yourself, the bigger this boulder you’re building becomes.

If the interviewer asks about anything that you’re sure is a negative, don’t be evasive. Answer briefly and honestly. Then blink, ask if there’s anything more she’d like to know. Most likely, she’ll move on to her next question, which won’t be about why you left that job after only eight months.