- March 5, 2022
- Posted by: PRA USA
- Category: Interview Advices
Do Not Make This Mistake!
There exists an age-old rule of interviewing almost every professional knows. It’s something we’ve advised candidates against for the 30+ years we’ve been in business. Despite this, we’ve seen an uptick in candidates making this mistake and torpedoing an opportunity in the process. What is this mistake?
Talking about politics in your interview.
Why is it Always Bad?
The subject has no place in an interview or most business discussions. You can get away with it at an actual political organization. Otherwise, stay focused on the job at hand.
You have a clear mission in an interview: get an offer. To do this, you need to convince the company you’ll help them reach their goals, and be a positive addition to the team. For you to accept, they need to show how working for them would be a positive step in your career.
Once you bring up politics, you’ve blown up the process for no good reason. People on opposite sides of the spectrum can work together productively for years because it doesn’t enter into the job at hand.
Find Your Next Job Here!
It’s Nothing Personal
It’s not about your opinion versus the interviewers. I spoke with a candidate who brought up how he always avoids political talk in a professional setting. I agreed. He then went on a five-minute political tirade.
While I agreed to him on many points, I declined to send him in for the job. He proved he couldn’t keep his emotions in check, like a professional. If he couldn’t do it for me, he’d probably make the same mistake with my client.
The impulse is understandable with what’s going on in the world. We’re facing actual life and death issues. No one is saying you don’t have the right to feel a certain way and to express those feelings. The challenge is figuring out how to do it in a positive, constructive way. It’s impossible to do that in an interview.
Get yourself in the right mindset before the interview. Go over the research you’ve done, the questions you want to ask, and the accomplishments you’ll highlight. Save the political talk for those awkward family conversations we all love.
PRA USA has 30+ years of recruiting experience in the Electronic, Embedded, and Controls fields. We’ve developed the knowledge you need to move your career in the right direction. Contact us to find out how we can help you.
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