.... So why won't you hire me?

People say the darnedest things. What might be okay to bring up during a personal conversation may not be a good idea in a professional one.

During the interview process keep your personal stuff to yourself. Be honest, but don’t divulge too much information that is not relevant to your professional background.

Sharing too much information about yourself, such as your financial difficulties, the lawsuit you filed against your last employer or any other information not relevant about why you are the perfect candidate for the job might just cost you that opportunity.

Interviews are an opportunity to make a great first impression about why you are the “perfect” candidate for an interviewers opening. Even if you end up not getting the job offer at that time, the lasting impression you make during this interview process just may land you the next opening.

For many of us it might seem like simple common sense not share your personal issues to what might possibly be your next possible hiring manager. But at times, we may have a lapse in judgment and let something slip out in conversation. After all, we are human and vulnerability and emotion can get the best of us. Prior to your interview, you may have just received word that your utility bill is past due, your mortgage APR just went up or of some other financial hardship. You may just really NEED this job.

The hiring manager is looking for the right skills and experience relevant to their open role and wants to better understand if you are the right person to hire. Sharing all your personal woes will only make a hiring manager wonder, will you also share their trade secrets if you are hired?

It’s like a new skill to master, but try to gather as much information as possible regarding an open opportunity before sharing your career highlights. This will give you an opportunity to position yourself accordingly and select the right examples of your abilities to sell yourself into the role.

I’ve found that some active job seekers are sometimes too eager to share their salary expectations during an opening statement like this:

“I will NOT consider an opportunity if it is less than XXXXX.”

When it’s uncovered that the position actually pays XX, it becomes difficult to back track without losing some credibility. Avoiding salary talks until you completely understand what the opening actually pays will benefit you in the long run. Of course, this is a negotiating skill to some degree and you have to be good at being able to skirt around the subject while asking the right questions. If done wrong, it can also hurt your chances for consideration, so tread lightly.

Active job seekers should never lie on their application or fudge on their resume. Giving out false information could also cost you a great position. A former candidate of mine fibbed a little on their employment application with one entire year of employment dates. Because the job offer was contingent on a background check and government security clearance, the inaccuracy came up and the job offer was rescinded.

Keeping in mind at all times that the interview is a professional setting and qualifying an opportunity by listening to the hiring managers needs will more often than not benefit your chances of landing a job offer. If you find that you are having a really difficult time mastering the successful job hunt, it may be a good time to hire an experienced career coach to pin point just what might be failing for you. Sometimes it might be what your sharing is inappropriate and it's costing you the job.