Job Hunt: What did I do wrong this time?

PHOENIX - We want to help those of you on the job hunt.

The Arizona economy may be on its way to a slow recovery, but the unemployment rate in our state remains sky high.

Each Wednesday, we highlight real mistakes made during real job interviews, and offer real tips to help turn those situations around.

Have you had your own bad experiences? Do you know someone else who has shared a bad experience with you? Email us the summary at MyAZNews@abc15.com , and we'll track down some advice from the experts for one of our future posts.

This week's bad job interview experience:
I was in a group interview a few months back for a retail position. The interviewer went around the room and asked about our retail experience. When she got to me, I had discussed my six years of experience as far as customer service, creating displays, re-stocking shelves, etc. She told me that was great and then asked where I had worked. When I told her the two stores I had worked for, she became frustrated and said, "Well they're hiring maybe you should go over there and apply." I told her that while I enjoyed those experiences, I was looking to diversify my employment by getting into a different type of retail setting. After that she rolled her eyes at me and moved on to the next person. Obviously I didn't get the job, but where did I go wrong?

Also being unemployed for over a year, I am willing to work for wages less than what I had made in my previous job. How do I address this when it is questioned in an interview?

This week's advice:
By: Karen E. Lamb
Assistant Director, Career Advising and Curriculum
Arizona State University

Let’s take a look at everything this job candidate did right:
When asked what attributes make candidates stand out at job fairs and in interviews, employers participating in a recent job fair at Arizona State University indicated that they look for individuals who have the ability to articulate their skills and explain how their skill set will benefit the organization. In this interview, the candidate was well-prepared to communicate how her skills in providing customer service, creating displays, restocking shelves etc. in the retail industry fulfilled the requirements of the open position.

Now let’s take a look at everything she, the recruiter, did wrong:
The candidate is an honest person applying for honest work. When candidates spend time and money applying for open positions, presenting a professional appearance and traveling to an interview, they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. The recruiter is a paid company representative and should not allow personal impressions to interfere with her obligation to consider the qualifications of each individual in a fair and equitable manner.

Initially, the recruiter’s response to the candidate's qualifications was positive and things looked promising until she learned the name of the candidate's previous employers. Whether the stores are upscale or discount, it is inappropriate for the recruiter’s bias toward the organization to influence her judgment of the candidate. The lack of professionalism, both verbal and nonverbal, makes me roll my eyes! Based on the unacceptable behavior, the candidate needs to ask herself “Do I really want to work for this kind of organization?”

Preparing for future interviews:
The advice to any candidate who anticipates challenging questions is to be prepared. The best strategy is to give a positive spin to any potentially negative situation such as being fired or a personality conflict with a former supervisor. The candidate's response that she is looking to diversify her experience by working in a variety of retail environments is an excellent answer! Likewise, if asked about accepting a lower wage, she can reference her awareness that she need to be adaptable to today’s competitive environment and stress that her desire for challenging work is more important than a slight pay differential. She may also want to mention, in a modest way of course, that she is a bright, talented and hard-working individual who is confident that her excellent job performance will result in wage increases and potential promotions in the years ahead.

Moving forward, the candidate should feel confident she is handling employment interviews in the right way.