If you are in search, you will encounter that moment when the person across the table from you seems to be operating outside normal bounds of thinking. Do you address the flight to fancy or not?
Here’s a short excerpt of an interview between a Human Resources team member (HR) and myself (MR) regarding a finance role:
HR: “Tell me how you collaborated with operations .”
MR: “I spent 30% of my time in the field at our branch locations or with Account Management and Sales on client calls. The more time I spent in the field, the better I knew how to support them.”
HR: “You did not use the word ‘collaborate’ in your answer.”
MR: “I know, the answer explaining my actions of collaboration with the operations team.”
HR: “Yes, but I was hoping you used the word ‘collaborate’.”
This enjoyable banter on ‘collaboration’ continued for a few more minutes. I was told that implying a word was not as powerful as using the word and that they were only considering candidates who specifically used the term 'collaborate' in their answers (In case you're wondering, I bit my tongue during the 'power of word' statement and positive my jaw hit the table during the 'only candidates who used the word' statement).
After an extremely pregnant pause in the discussion, we finally moved on, I remember thinking, “It’s better to imply you’re a knucklehead, then to make it more powerful by proving it”.
After an extremely pregnant pause in the discussion, we finally moved on, I remember thinking, “It’s better to imply you’re a knucklehead, then to make it more powerful by proving it”.
I also thought to myself that I had just fallen for the oldest and biggest interview temptation: Trying to prove your point, or better said, disprove theirs.
It’s at the moment when the other person seems to suspend reality with a ridiculous argument or statements that can make or break your ability to keep your odds of impressing them to remain high and not allow the discussion to spiral off into the netherworld.
Dealing with the break from reality:
- If their statement misstates your skill or experience, offer a single statement of correction.
- If they are simply off-base on an issue, then let it go.
- In either case, just get the conversations moving onto a new topic.
My lesson:
No use trying to defuse the bomb that’s gone off (or an interviewer who's temporarily gone off their rocker)
No use trying to defuse the bomb that’s gone off (or an interviewer who's temporarily gone off their rocker)
Good luck today!
Mark