I’m known for my positivity, and rarely — if ever — do I write from a “do not do this” perspective. Most of my Managing Your Career columns have been written with a focus on must-do items that combine to make for a successful job search.

However, I see that people make many of the same mistakes over and over, whether it is in the networking process, on interview day, or in that critical period after a successful job interview. These are not just “rookie” errors made by young people; some of these goof-ups are made by senior staff who haven’t interviewed in years . . . the Director of Research prospect who doesn’t remember the best way to answer a salary expectations question, or the VP-level business developer who thinks it’s beneath him to write a thank-you note after an interview.

In this issue’s column, I’ve gathered all the best of the “Don’ts” from an ongoing “Do’s and Don’ts” list that I’ve been updating for years. I was inspired to take the darker path this month by reading an excellent book, This is How To Get Your Next Job (Amacom, 2012) by author Andrea Kay. I’ve always enjoyed her newspaper column and Ms. Kay makes some excellent points in her book, one that uses far more of the “don’t do this” approach than most job-seeker volumes.

Before the Interview
We’ve had many columns here in Contract Pharma over the years about the importance of setting up the “pre-interview” part of your job search. Here are some of the biggest and most damaging of the no-no’s for this stage of the process:

• Don’t let typos, misspellings or missing information damage your potential. Ensure that you’ve reviewed even a spellchecked Word document a couple of times.
• Keep your Plan B to yourself. If applying for a job in Quality Control, go after it with all you’ve got. In other words, Don’t ever let on that you are really looking for a role in project management, but that you’d be “open for a position in quality.” If a QC job is only a Plan B, it is nobody else’s business. Your contacts will only be receptive to you if your passion is directed to their area of need.
• Networking is an information gathering process. Don’t ask too early about whether there are openings in their company. Keep the focus on doing your research — how she managed her search, who he recommends you talk to, and so on. Asking “are there any openings?” too early in the conversation will send you directly to the company website.
• Don’t write a “Dear Sir or Madam” cover letter for your application package. Find out the name of the recipient, even if it is someone in the Human Resources department, and use that person’s name in a letter that has been customized for the job.
• Always go to an industry meeting or scientific congress with a plan in place to network at social events and poster sessions. Don’t forget your business cards!
• Don’t think that you are restricted to filling in an application form on some prospective employer’s website. The company website is about the last place that most people find their new positions. Take any path necessary to get your CV into the right hands!

During the Interview

• Don’t go into the interview with a glossy interviewing persona. Be the best “real you” that you can manage. Sure, it’s fine to practice and to have prepared responses for certain obvious questions, but don’t come across as an automaton. Interviewers have an uncanny ability to spot phoniness a mile away.
• As author Andrea Kay writes in her book, “Don’t act clueless and unprepared.” She summarizes in one short line the problem that so many have in the interview: they didn’t do their homework.
• Don’t use “we” when an “I” is so much more powerful. Your language needs to speak specifically of what your actions accomplished. While the occasional “we did this” is fine, the interviewer wants to know what you did, what your role was. “I” is essential in an interview. It is the glue that holds your part of the day together.
• Watch for any and all clues that you send off that might show your interest level. If you want the job, Don’t go in without a list of good questions. And Don’t let your eyes stray too far from the person you are talking to . . . eye contact is one clue that shows interest and enthusiasm.
• Don’t talk about skills, techniques, and experiences that you can’t back up with real-world examples. Consider that everything you bring to the table will be explored further with detailed questions.
• Don’t bring negatives into the conversation about previous employers, bosses or colleagues. This isn’t the time to be seen as a griper. If you had a bad situation develop with a previous boss, find a polite and politically astute way of describing it. And then be prepared to talk about what you did to correct that problem.
• Don’t jump the gun on the salary question, let them come to it naturally. Don’t ask about perks, insurance, vacation or anything that doesn’t have to do with the job itself and your role in the company.
• Don’t provide numbers in response to the “What are your expectations on salary?” question. While it’s OK to talk about your present earnings, it is never a good idea to discuss your expectations for earnings in the new job. You’ll either be too high, or too low, and neither of those is good for you.
• Don’t employ trite, overused language in your interview. Avoid clichés such as “I’m a people person,” “I’m computer literate,” “I can think outside the box,” or “I’m a quick study.”
• Don’t give a job talk without reviewing it several times for length and freedom from non-words like “Umm, ya know, like,” and others.

Even a talk you’ve delivered several times should be reviewed for fit in this circumstance and you should be comfortable enough to deliver without annoying language.

After the Interview

• Don’t disappear from sight. The first step is a polite thank-you note. A follow-up call to the person who invited you or to your H/R contact is a good idea once the timeline identified by the employer goes by. If they said, “We’ll be back to you in a week or two,” make that call at 15 days.
• Don’t become a pest. If the approach mentioned above — thank you note and a follow-up call — does not pay off, then hold back and don’t let your instinct to call every week take over. Relax. Focus on something else for
• a while.
• Don’t get caught in the trap of thinking every opportunity is a do-or-die scenario. When you fixate too much on one interview, you lose your ability to be proactive regarding the rest of your job search. Sometimes finding a new position is a numbers game. It will likely take more than one interview to make a transition successfully.

It has been a tough few years in the employment market, but Don’t despair; things are looking up. We’ve never been busier, and I know that other search firms are feeling the same growth in our economy. If you can avoid making the rookie mistakes I’ve mentioned in this column, you’ll be in the top 10% to 20% of those who interview, making your chances for an offer much stronger. CP

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David G. Jensen
Contributing Editor

David G. Jensen is Managing Director of Kincannon & Reed Executive Search (www.krsearch.com), a leading retained search firm in the biosciences. You can reach Dave at (928) 274-2266 or via [email protected].