First Jobs: Big Mistakes While Interviewing

BiB Contributor | Anonymous News Director

I’m only choosing to write about this because it has come up several times.

Imagine this scenario: You’ve been wined and dined. You’ve met people throughout the station. Everything seems to be going well. You’re then asked to sign a form consenting to a background check and drug screen. The employer asks “Anything on your record I should know about?”

This is where many people fail.

photo credit: SummerSizzler

Time and time again, people neglect to mention they’ve been involved in multiple accidents, don’t actually have a degree, or have some other blemish on their record (such as a crime). When you’re signing the background check, it is time to come clean. Just because you have a less than stellar record doesn’t mean you won’t get hired. It all depends on how you handle the situation. If you failed to divulge some key information, it can and will come back to haunt you.

At this point, the prospective employer is asking you to explain anything that might come up on your record. If you have a good explanation, have gone through a diversion program, or made reparations in some other way, explain how you’re now on the right track; as a result, it is easier to make a case for your hire. If the employer is surprised by something that comes up, it becomes much harder to make a case to hire you.

The truth is always your best ally. Use it to your advantage. Even if you don’t get the job, at least you know you did everything right. At the end of the day, integrity is all you have.