What Not to Say Part I

We recently posted an internship opportunity at ACG. Specifically we included in the job description that the candidate must be able to meet very tight deadlines, a reasonable request given that many of our projects are extraordinarily time sensitive and require late evening / early morning work as well as weekend effort. One candidate we interviewed spent 5 minutes talking about how important it was for him to have a good balance between family and work. He boasted how much time he spent with his wife and his weekend activities that included piloting planes and many outdoor activities. Although I commend his honesty, he did not score high on intuition and street smarts. He simply should not have applied for this specific job. Not only that, no company wants to hire somebody who does not have a “bring it on, do whatever it takes” attitude. I give 3 to 1 odds that this person will be unemployed this time next year!