job interview Archives - RDH Resumes and Career Guidance

Spotting a Bad Boss in an Interview

August 29, 2018 By Doug Perry, Dental Hygiene Resume Coach

It’s easy to spot a bad boss after you have worked with them for a while. But much harder when you barely met or know them.

Add to that, some bad bosses are quite good at faking it around people when they need to. And some can be really nice most of the time but have a nasty mean streak when put in stressful situations.

There are things you can watch for in job interviews that may help you sort out the good from the bad.

Too Nice

Some bosses tend to get over-the-top or aggressive when they want something to adjust their behavior. They may like and want to hire you or to put their best foot forward. Nice people are naturally nice, they don’t have to force it and you can feel it. But with a bad boss, you can appreciate their “nice-ness” but still sense something is off or unnatural.

It’s easy to mistake. You are conflicted because it is, after all, a good thing to be nice. And everyone wants to feel liked, important, and to be complimented. But there is an innate balance there that you can likely spot. When you sense that an employer being overly nice or friendly (without cause or basis) they could be overcompensating to hide a nasty nature.

Bad Listeners

In the discourse of your discussions with them, do they seem to not quite connect with you after you say something?

Good communication has a natural flow to it that allows for a mutual exchange. You say something, and they react in some predictable fashion that indicates a connection was made. Bad listeners are ones who don’t seem to react to what you are saying in a logical way. They will give you blank stares, insert awkward pauses, or move to different subjects without acknowledging your thought.

Keep in mind, however, this happens to everyone from time to time. We all get distracted in our thoughts, but if it happens in multiple places during your interview, they could be a bad listener.

Some bad-listener bosses are easy to spot. They are the ones who pick up their phone and text while you are talking. I had a boss who would interrupt conversations with employees constantly to take phone calls. Emergencies or urgencies, sure. But outside of that it’s pretty rude and unprofessional.

Taking Credit

Bad bosses are often ultra self-conscious. They lack confidence in themselves and so to compensate for that they will often take credit for successes. Sure, bosses are there to steer and guide the ship and that, to some extent, is part of the success.

What I am talking about is when they take full credit. That is to say, when you hear the word “I” throughout the conversation when talking about successes, instead of “we.” So watch for humility. Is there a lot of praise for the staff? Or is the praise centered with the boss?

Worshipping Idols

This one is similar to the previous one in that the focal point for success in an office lands on one person. But instead of themselves, this has to do with giving one person an inordinate amount of attention. A type of “teacher’s pet” to use an old refrain from the academic world.

It can be true that one employee really stands out. But if the boss feels they need to spotlight one person as being the all-star of the office, could be a bad boss trait. You and others may find it hard to measure up, especially if that person ever leaves as their legend will grow.

Don’t mistake it as a challenge that you can win them over and be the all-star. You know, the reality is that everyone contributes to the success of business. Employees are worthy of praise, but shouldn’t be constantly singled out (worshipped).

Bad-Mouthing

We all have bad experiences with others. Interpersonal relationships are some of the biggest struggles. However, a good boss will not bring those things up. Or if they do to describe a bigger problem, they won’t single people out (generally) to a potential new hire. It’s just not professional so if your interviewer is bad-mouthing anyone, it’s probably a red flag and you can expect more.

Disinterested or Contrived

I’ve personally been in interviews where the boss acts like they would rather be somewhere else. Or they seem to just be going through the motions without really listening. It’s disconcerting in that they don’t seem to be present or care.

At any rate, this could be a sign that they are constantly hiring new people. They are well-practiced or well-rehearsed in the interview, almost controlling down to the minute how long it’s going to be. As we all know, if they truly have this thing down it unfortunately means they haven’t created a very satisfactory workplace.

Mood of the Staff

How the staff acts when around or referring to the boss can sometimes be a really big tip. Pay close attention to their tone, body language, and mannerisms. Do they seem relaxed or stiff around the boss? It’s not uncommon to want to be attentive or supportive of the boss, but watch for excessive behaviors that don’t seem natural.

Some staff are very relaxed and very casual or even appear to be having fun with the boss. The staff takes it’s cue from the boss, so if they are acting stiff or even scared, you will be expected or compelled to act the same.

Whatever the mood is, picture yourself working there and if that’s your style then you know you’ve found a good fit.

Other Signs

I’ve mentioned in previous articles the importance of paying attention to outdated reception areas and/or equipment within the office. I hesitate to mention it because you can have a great boss to work for who simply hasn’t modernized. But I also think part of what makes for a great boss is their attention to what helps create a great environment for patients.

So watch for these kinds of subordinating items as a factor when considering if the boss is good or bad. Overall, trust your instincts. When things seem a little off or weird raise a red flag and do some additional checking. Tally up the red flags so you can make a good decision you won’t regret and find a boss that’s great.

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Doug Perry is an expert resume writer and job search coach. He and his wife, Tracie, who is a dental hygienist, created GetHiredRDH in response to the challenging dental hygiene job market and have helped thousands of dental hygienists through tips and individual services. If you need individual, click here to contact Doug.

Body Language Habits that will Sink Your Interview

February 5, 2017 By Doug Perry, Dental Hygiene Resume Coach

Job interviews tend to be the most stressful part of finding work. The stakes are high and it’s hard to pay attention to all the dynamics going on.

Employers have the upper hand. They know what they want and need. They are on their home turf and there’s no pressure.

One thing you may not realize is that employers are listening to what you say… and how you say it – your body language. They are watching for alignment.

You say you are confident and personable on your resume, but do you show it under pressure? You tell them how you are able to quickly gain trust with people, but are you able to establish good eye-contact connections with the interviewer?

So, let’s talk today about some bad body language habits to work on that will create inconsistency and hurt your chances.

Bad Posture

Sitting up straight, to the edge of your seat and leaning forward slightly is the best posture for one-on-one meetings such as interviews. Most job interviews last about 30 minutes and it’s easy to start off correct but begin slouching toward the middle or end.

Correct posture shows you are attentive, interested, passionate, and confident, among other positive attributes. Slouching, leaning back, resting your face on your hands, or sitting back in your chair are all negatives.

Poor Eye Contact

Eye contact can be hard to master because you can give too much, too little, or even be too shifty. There’s an art to it that you have to practice and work on to create a comfortable level.

Too much eye contact is where you go long periods of time (like 45 seconds or longer) looking straight into the employer’s eyes. This can feel really awkward or even creepy if you do it multiple times. There may be one or two instances during the interview where it’s necessary, but you want to avoid this.

Too little eye contact signals that the candidate is either really nervous or not overly confident. And it’s hard for an employer to know the difference if there is one – sometimes it’s both. If it’s not natural or is really hard, work at giving it – even if you are just looking at their forehead or nose to make it easier.

And shifty eyes, which is best described as darting around too much or too quickly is also a red flag for employers. As I was saying, there’s an art or cadence to your eye movement that is considered relaxed or normal and won’t be distracting for an employer.

Give employers good, lengthy eye contact as you are listening to them. Occasionally, shift away for a second or two to break that up. Nod your head and smile to help create breaks. Then, when talking, follow a similar pattern of lengthy eye contact, say 15-30 seconds with short breaks between.

Closed Arms

It has been long understood by social psychologists that folded arms is body language for “closed off” or “defensive.” This is, of course, the opposite of what you want to convey. Remember that trust is what working toward when applying for a job. The sooner you have an employer’s trust the sooner they will decide you are the one.

Instead, generally keep your arms down to your side with elbows slightly bent and hands coming together but not crossed when standing. When sitting, strike a similar pose but with elbows even more bent and hands on your legs or together, changing things up slightly as the interview progresses. You shouldn’t and won’t have to hold these poses, there are opportunities to gesture as you talk, shake hands, or make other routine movements.

Excessive Nodding

Nodding your head as you listen is great – it communicates that you understand and are on the same page. But you can get carried away with it and create a distraction if you are nodding too often and/or too fast.

Try to hold off nodding until you feel they are toward the end of their statement. Give the interviewer a gentle, thoughtful couple of nods that communicate that you are absorbing what they say.

Fidgeting

Fidgeting can occur with your entire body, just your hands or even just legs or feet. We do this most often when we are nervous to help slow our heart rate – it’s sort of a mini defensive mechanism that is natural.

The most important thing is for you to be aware of body language fidgets so you can take action. Next, learn some deep breathing techniques to get that heart rate down and keep it down. Then, either work on not shifting body parts around so much or work to do it only a few times that make it appear more natural.

Inconsistent Facial Expressions

Another thing people forget to do in interviews is to smile or show emotion. Give yourself permission to vulnerable – let your passion and excitement for the work show on your face. This is important because as you present your thoughts employers will look to see if your expression matches your words.

If you have no smile or sincere expression while talking about your experience and expertise something will seem off. It may just be your nerves but the employer may surmise you really don’t mean it.

Body Language Summary

Again, consistency in your job interview isn’t just words, it’s avoiding bad body language habits that will send a mixed message. Practice and work at each one of these tips, especially the ones you know are harder for you.

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Handling Questions about a Current or Former Boss

August 8, 2016 By Doug Perry, Dental Hygiene Resume Coach

So how do you handle job interview questions about your current or former boss – especially when the boss is one of the reasons you are looking for work?

The astute job interviewer knows that a wrong move here will kiss your hopes of landing this job goodbye. That’s because employers know that if you had problems with the previous or current boss, who’s to say what the real problem is – your boss or you?

They don’t have time to mess around with that question so rather than try to dig deeper they may just go with a safer pick or show some allegiance to their peer.

So here are some typical boss-related questions you might get and how to respond to them.

Have you ever found it hard working for a previous boss?

I’ve written many times before about keeping all of your answers positive and upbeat, but some questions are phrased in such a way that you may feel the best answer is to go negative. Don’t fall for it!

Of course if you can truly say you have never found it hard to work for anyone then that’s your answer. But that would be pretty rare for most people so here are a couple ways you could respond:

“I’ve been a hygienist for 10 years and so it goes without saying that most people in that span of time are going to find things in others that can be improved. However, if I were running the practice, I am certain there are things my employees would not necessarily like. The important thing is that both of us are able to have conversations and that respect, listening, and professionalism will lead the way.”

Rather than going into why it’s been hard, this type of a response allows you to share a very practical framework for handling disagreements with a boss. It’s non-threatening and even gives them the impression that you care more about handling the situation professionally than simply getting your point across.

Who’s been the best and worst employer to work for?

This a totally unfair question. They want you to name names – are you kidding me? Absolutely, positively refuse! If you get this question, you may even want to chalk it up as a red flag for working for this employer – seriously!

However, it’s also possible it’s a trick question to see if you will start talking about people negatively. If you fall for it and start bashing or criticizing then they know you are the wrong person to hire.

But you also don’t want to shake you head and refuse to give them any answer, so the best way to respond is to share with them your ethics about talking about people. So you could share something like this.

“So far my career has had lots of successes and great experiences. I could certainly rank my employers from best to worst for you, and give you reasons why, but I really value the ethic of keeping conversations about employers and co-workers positive so I think I will just stick with the positive things and even what I learned from each of them, if that’s okay.”

They shouldn’t argue with that – it’s your value and ethic. If they do, politely decline and walk out!

Share an experience where you disagreed with your employer over how something should be done.

Here again is an opportunity to get really nasty about an instance where you know for a fact your boss was either wrong, unethical, or even doing something illegal. Don’t go there!

They need to see you are diplomatic, but they don’t need to hear about the worst of the worst. I would instead go with something very small and show how you handled it:

“My employer wanted to make a small change in how we made patients feel welcome that I felt was good, but was missing an important piece that conflicted. I told them I agreed that it’s important to make patients feel welcome and that I also had an additional thought. We discussed it and came up with a great third option we both felt good about.”

The above has the three elements of a great way to share experiences. First, describe the problem, next talk about the action, and third give them the resolution or how it ended.

Tell me one thing your current employer could improve that would make you stay.

Again, this is an opportunity to either let loose or play it safe. And, again, my advice is to play it safe. It might seem to some that employers are looking to see if this is a weakness that parallels one of their own. But it’s really a test to learn more about your relationship with your boss.

So I will say the same thing again, keep it positive and go big picture with them. It’s important to address the question, but you want to re-focus it on how you see the world instead of the minutia.

“I very seldom, if ever, base big career decisions on one factor. There are things everyone can improve on, even myself. But my job search is more about my career objectives and so I wouldn’t ever want my employer to feel that for me to stay there were certain conditions they had to change.”

Summary

There are lots of variations of questions you could potentially face regarding your employer in an interview – these are only a sample of some of the common ones. Just keep your responses positive, simple, and big picture or vague and you’ll come out of a fairly tough or awkward question in a great position to land the job.

Your Job Interview is Done, Now What?

October 26, 2015 By Doug Perry, Dental Hygiene Resume Coach

You just finished your job interview. Now comes the waiting and wondering. Should you reach out to the employer or wait patiently?

Studies show many interviewers know quickly who they want to hire and who is runner-up. But in situations where the competition is high, there’s more you can do to tip the balance in your favor.

Sometimes a second or even third round of interviews is an indication of this.

You could also be the runner-up. But it’s not uncommon for the first choice to reject the offer and putting you back in the running. These extra efforts can help you seal the deal.

Let’s take a look at a few more things you can do.

Thank You Card

Sending a thank you card, note, or email is the often-thought-of strategy. In my experience, I still don’t see these used nearly enough.

So even though a lot of employers won’t be startled to receive one from you, you should still do it. Most won’t do it and it adds a level of polish and professionalism to your reputation.

Here are a few guidelines:

Get it out fast: If possible, drop it off later that day or the next morning – that adds one more point of contact or reminder of how personable and friendly you are to the front office. If you can’t hand-deliver it then send a quick e-mail, or possibly text if you have their number. Time is of the essence because you want it to be a potential factor.
Hand-written: If you can hand-deliver one, writing it with a pen shows you took a little extra time or made a little more effort.
Professional stationery: Again, you want to give the impression that you go the extra mile in everything. Every employer wants that kind of employee.
Business card: If you have a business card (and it’s advisable that you do), include one with the thank you note.

What should you write? This all depends on how the interview went, but you want to keep it very brief. Here are a few scenarios and examples:

You feel you might be lacking in a key area: Focus a comment or two on your biggest strength. Draw their attention away from the weakness. If you are certain you will not get an offer, you can take a gamble and address it, coupled with how you will make up for it. Example: “I recognize I only have one year of professional experience, but I am recognized for my ability to learn and contribute quickly. For example, …”
You didn’t say everything you wanted to include: Sometimes there are things you wish you would have been asked because you had something strong to say. Example: “While I know it’s not a main function of this job, I should add that I have experience with XYZ and know this will provide some additional value to the company.”
You feel really good, that everything went near perfect: If you feel your interview was good then reinforce your strengths. Example: “I enjoyed our discussion today. You mentioned the importance of hiring someone who understands customers and relationships. I know you will find I am particularly strong in this area. For example,…”

Post-Interview Summary Letter

Within a day or two of your interview and thank you note, prepare a Post-Interview Summary Letter to send.

Similar to a traditional cover letter, this document creates one more point of connection with the employer. It’s also similar to the content you would include in your thank you note only a little more expanded.

It gives you an opportunity to reaffirm your strengths and express your excitement to work for the company.

It could also be used to address items you feel are strengths but not discussed. Or possibly additional value you perceive as important to the employer. You could even add a short testimonial from someone they know or that is particularly relevant.

I hate to put guarantees on anything but this I would suggest no other applicant will do. And thus it becomes one more way to stand out. As a bonus this week here’s a FREE Post-Interview Summary Template to help get you started.

Working Your Network

If you haven’t done this already, take a really hard look around at your professional circles, friends, and family. Is there anyone who has any kind of connection to this company? Even a friend of a friend or former employee there.

Any connection could help you out. I did this recently in a job search I conducted and it had a definite impact. Have them make a personal phone call or written letter to a key decision maker, vouching for how great you are.

This kind of influence is extremely powerful if you have it and so it’s worth spending some time to figure that out. Sometimes you can get on Facebook or LinkedIn and see some potential connections.

Summary

There are so many things you can do to land a great dental hygiene job – thank you cards, Post-Interview Summary Letters and working your network are only a few.

Think through your own situation to see if your unique circumstances might call for some additional ideas to stand out and land a job.

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Spotting a Bad Boss in an Interview

Too Nice

Bad Listeners

Taking Credit

Worshipping Idols

Bad-Mouthing

Disinterested or Contrived

Mood of the Staff

Other Signs

Body Language Habits that will Sink Your Interview

Bad Posture

Poor Eye Contact

Closed Arms

Excessive Nodding

Fidgeting

Inconsistent Facial Expressions

Body Language Summary

Handling Questions about a Current or Former Boss

Have you ever found it hard working for a previous boss?

Who’s been the best and worst employer to work for?

Share an experience where you disagreed with your employer over how something should be done.

Tell me one thing your current employer could improve that would make you stay.

Summary

Your Job Interview is Done, Now What?

Thank You Card

Post-Interview Summary Letter

Working Your Network

Summary

Not Getting Interviews?

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Positive Resume Action Words

Passive vs. Active Writing

Positive Personality Adjectives

Too Nice

<img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-5587 alignleft" src="https://gethiredrdh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/man-looking-at-watch.png" alt="man looking at watch" width="285" height="160" />Bad Listeners

Taking Credit

Bad-Mouthing

<img decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-5589" src="https://gethiredrdh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/man-preoccupied-with-phone.png" alt="man preoccupied with phone" width="285" height="160" />Disinterested or Contrived

Mood of the Staff

<img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-5588 alignright" src="https://gethiredrdh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/woman-rubbing-neck.png" alt="woman rubbing neck" width="285" height="160" />

Other Signs

Bad Posture

Poor Eye Contact

Closed Arms

Excessive Nodding

Fidgeting

Inconsistent Facial Expressions

Body Language Summary

Have you ever found it hard working for a previous boss?

Who’s been the best and worst employer to work for?

Share an experience where you disagreed with your employer over how something should be done.

Tell me one thing your current employer could improve that would make you stay.

Summary

Thank You Card

Summary

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Bad Listeners

Disinterested or Contrived