The Monster Blog

The "Elephants" in the Job Interview: Handling Difficult (but Impossible to Ignore) Topics

Posted: 07 Jun 2011 03:31 PM PDT

You don't want to talk about it, but you can't ignore it: You left your last job because you were fired. Or because you shouted "I quit!" in a rage and stormed out. Or maybe your last job wasn't the problem, but you can tell that this interviewer is just, as they say, "not that into you."
Dealing with the metaphorical "elephant in the room" can be as difficult as handling an actual elephant -- but when a new job is on the line, it can be even harder. We asked Jim Camp, the president and CEO of Camp Negotiation Systems and the author of the bestselling book Start with No: The Negotiating Tools That the Pros Don't Want You to Know, for some advice on getting past elephants.
Camp explains, "A job interview by definition is a negotiation. It is an effort to bring about an agreement between two or more parties, with all parties having the right to veto."
Camp has developed a negotiation-management system and tools that he says can help anyone, in any type of negotiating situation, deal with barriers to negotiation. "Having such tools before you get to the negotiating table helps you prepare for, execute, and debrief the negotiation step by step," he says.
Now let's bring on the elephants:
Elephant #1: You were fired from your last job.

Before your initial job interview, Camp recommends creating a checklist. "In the checklist," he advises, "you would list any problems that you foresee might hurt your efforts, such as a firing on your resume, and that [might] keep you from the conclusion you want -- getting the job. Then you will address each problem in your first interview, either in person or on the phone. It would sound something like this: 'There is a potential problem I would like to address. It is important that we have transparency and openness as we begin. I was terminated from my last position. If that is important, I would like to address that at the very beginning. How would you like me to proceed? If termination is a game stopper, let's know right now.'"
That may sound scary, but Camp believes that not addressing the firing directly can be far worse: "Your directness, and your invitation to allow them to 'veto' -- in this case, to bring the interview to a stop -- will set them at ease," he says. "Such honesty puts you in a good light."
Elephant #2: You quit in an angry blowup (or just without giving notice).
Camp says you can use the same strategy here that you would use if you were terminated -- and for the same reason: "There's a good chance that your interviewer will call your previous employer. If you don't bring this out into the open, you'll be in a compromised situation when it comes time for your interview. That is, you'll be wondering whether and when they'll bring up the topic. You'll be wishing you'd said something. ... In the interview, you should be focusing on your words and behaviors, definitely not emotions such as fear or worry. Instead, just bring it out into the open, using a similar statement as previously discussed. And remember to talk about it in a way that helps the interviewer see you as an asset -- someone who made a mistake and learned from it, perhaps, and someone who will be forthright, honest, and direct. These are positives for the employer, not negatives."
Camp says that once you vanquish elephants like this, you can then discuss your job history "in the context of creating a well-rounded picture of the circumstances -- one that puts you in a beneficial light and helps the interviewer see you as an asset to the organization."
He adds that it's very important for you to retain control of your image -- and if you hide part of your history, you can give up some of that control.
Elephant #3: The interviewer says you're overqualified (and you just might be!).

Camp says that, like the first two elephants, this one should have made it on to the checklist of problems that you are facing. And, he says, you have to negotiate those problems out first.
"If it's not a deal breaker," Camp says, "then you've just gotten the interviewer to open up to the vision that you are going to start building for them, the one that shows them their problems, and that offers yourself and your top three or four qualities as the solution to those problems."
(For more tips on dealing with this particular elephant, read "I'm Overqualified.")
Elephant #4: The interviewer is hostile and aggressive.

Camp explains that his system of negotiation is made up of soft skills and hard structures: "The soft skills fill the structure," he says. "Within the behaviors that make up the soft skills, we have two that come immediately to bear on this situation. The first is the 'stripline.' It is the ability to be a little more negative than the other party. For example, the interviewer says, 'It just doesn't appear to me that you accomplished near as much as you could have in your last job.' Your response: 'From what you have to go on, it probably seems even worse than that.'"
Then you can speak about your accomplishments in more detail.
"The second is to nurture," Camp says. "Lower your voice, slow your pace of speech, and sit back as the discussion continues. By utilizing the stripline, nurturing, and a strong checklist, this type of interviewer is fairly easily handled."
Elephant #5: You can just tell that the interviewer is just "not that into you."
Again, Camp says it's crucial to get this problem out into the open: "By this, I mean stopping the discussion and stating the new problem you see, followed by a great open-ended question that can't be answered with a plain yes or no. For example: 'May we stop, please? I see a problem growing here. I sense I'm falling short in your eyes. Where am I falling short? Can you help me see that?' With that you should be able to re-engage and reboot the discussion."
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In an interview, how do you explain that you were fired from your last job?

First of all, an interview by definition is a negotiation. It is an effort to bring about an agreement between two or more parties with all parties having the Right to Veto. In the Camp System of Negotiation, we use a negotiation management system and tools that can help anyone, in any type of negotiating situation, deal with the proverbial elephant in the room, such as a recent firing. Having such tools before you get to the negotiating table helps you prepare for, execute, and debrief the negotiation step by step.

In the very first interview, this would be clearly dealt with within our "Camp Checklist." In the checklist, you would list any problems that you foresee might hurt your efforts (a firing on your resume) and that keep you from the conclusion you want (getting the job). Next, you will address this problem in your first interview, either in person or on the phone. It would sound something like this: "There is a potential problem I would like to address. It is important that we have transparency and openness as we begin. I was terminated from my last position. If that is important, I would like to address that at the very beginning. How would you like me to proceed? If termination is a game stopper, let's know right now." Sound scary? Believe it or not, it's worse not to address the job termination. Your directness, and your invitation to allow them to "veto" -- in this case, to bring the interview to a stop -- will set them at ease. Such honesty puts you in a good light.

You can then discuss your job history in the context of creating a well-rounded picture of the circumstances, one that puts you in a beneficial light and helps the interviewer see you as an asset to the organization. The key here is to have the opportunity to create the most effective vision, or way of seeing you, but never appear to hide the history. After all, just about everyone has been terminated from something.

How do you say that you quit without giving notice?

Use the same strategy as above. There's a good chance that your interviewer will call your previous employer. If you don't bring this out into the open, you'll be in a compromised situation when it comes time for your interview. That is, you'll be wondering whether and when they'll bring up the topic. You'll be wishing you'd said something. Don't let such emotions into the job interview. In the interview, you should be focusing on your words and behaviors, definitely not your emotions such as fear or worry. Instead, just bring it out into the open again, using a similar statement as in the first question. And remember to talk about it in a way that helps the interviewer see you as an asset--someone who made a mistake and learned from it, perhaps, and someone who will be forthright, honest, and direct. These are positives for the employer, not negatives.

How do you handle an interviewer who says you are overqualified?

Like the two scenarios above, this is an issue that you should have addressed long before someone would point it out. Again, in your checklist you should have identified your real problem or problems that you are facing and you should negotiate those problems out first. Bring it out into the open and invite the employer to decline to go further, if they wish to. If this is not a deal breaker, then you've just gotten the interviewer to open up to the vision that you are going to start building for them, the one that shows them their problems, and that offers yourself and your top three or four qualities as the solution to those problems.

What are some tips on handling a hostile, aggressive interviewer?

The Camp System of Negotiation is made up of soft skills and hard structures. The soft skills fill the structure. Within the behaviors that make up the soft skills we have two that come immediately to bear on this situation. The first is "stripline." It is the ability to be a little more negative than the other party. For example, the interviewer says: "It just doesn't appear to me that you accomplished near as much as you could have in your last job." Your response: "From what you have to go on, it probably seems even worse than that." The second is to nurture. Lower your voice, slow your pace of speech, and sit back as the discussion continues. By utilizing the stripline, nurturing, and a strong checklist, this type of interviewer is fairly easily handled.

Sometimes, in an interview, you can just tell that the interviewer is "not that into you." What steps should you take then?

If you see that problem progressing, it is important that you reset your checklist, and get that problem out into the open. By this I mean, stop the discussion and state the new problem you see followed by a great open-ended question that can't be answered with a plain yes or no. (These usually feature words such as why, where, what, and how.) Example: "May we stop, please? I see a problem growing here. I sense I'm falling short in your eyes. Where am I falling short? Can you help me see that?" With that you should be able to re-engage and reboot the discussion.