I'M A PEOPLE PERSON!!!!

I have recently been sitting in on interviews at work.  I rarely have to do this and I am very glad.  It's not that I mind interviews, nor do I mind sitting in on them.  However, there are a few things that can make me turn off to whatever else you have to say in an interview and start singing show tunes to myself in my head...

When I ask you to describe yourself to me I don't want to hear that you are organized as that is something that you can't prove to me.  I have never opened your junk drawer nor seen how your closet is arranged so when you tell me you are organized to a fault I am either going to hear "I am obsessive compulsive" or "I am lying".  Also, don't ever tell me how organized you are while fishing through a purse the size of a number three washtub for your drivers license when I tell you I need to make a copy of it.

Not to offend anyone's sense of religion, but when I ask you what your greatest achievement is the answer is not your love of the Lord and his ability to pull you through.  I have no doubt of your love or your belief in a higher conviction but that answer is not going to tell me anything about how you are going to perform as an employee.

Gum chewing is no no and one that is going to irritate me to distraction.

When I ask you what your greatest weakness is your answer, under no circumstance, is "I don't think I have one."  Here is hint, if you tell me you don't have a weakness, I automatically assume that you have two weaknesses.  You are arrogant and you are conceited.  The flip side of this is that I also don't want to hear "I tend to procrastinate (I am not going to procrastinate in not hiring you) not do I want to hear something like "I tend to fall in love to easily"  If your answer sounds like it came from a fortune cookie I am not interested.

Most when asked to describe yourself there is no such thing as a "people person".  If I had a nickle every time I heard, "I love people!"  or "I am a people person" I wouldn't be interviewing you because I wouldn't have to work.  The very fact that you are alive makes you a people person because you are a person who is part of the people.  The funny thing about the phrase "people person" is that, whenever I ask someone to tell me what that means they say "I am good with people.  Okay.

Interviews were meant to highlight your strengths and be honest about your weaknesses.  You aren't accepting an Academy Award for best actor in a mini-series so I expect you to be yourself.  You know, a highly organized, gum chewing, God fearing people person...