Interview obstructions

Judging from some of the letters I receive, it’s tough to land any type of IT job right now. We’ve heard stories about those few companies that are hiring demanding every type of certification and skill under the sun.

One reader and his friends have encountered so much rejection in their job searches that he compiled a top 10 list of legal ways in which an interviewer can discount or disqualify anyone.

Bob Slovick, a job seeker who most recently worked as a network engineer and technical trainer, calls his list “Slovick’s 10 interview disqualifiers.” The responses are as follows:

1. You are underqualified.

2. You are overqualified.

3. You don’t have a degree

4. Your degree is too “dated” and your technical knowledge must be out of date.

5. You just got your degree but lack experience or industry certifications.

6. You have experience, but no certification or degree.

7. You have certifications, but no experience or degree.

8. You have certifications, but how do we know you didn’t just “memorize the test,” and it is a “paper certification.”

9. You don’t have sufficient experience in OUR industry

10. Your experience, though in our industry, is not consistent with, or

relevant to OUR environment

He says, “It seems like the current jobs in the Northern California area seem to fall into one of two categories: All network knowledge since the beginning of time; or very specialized knowledge; and very little in between.”

So I’m curious to hear from more of you. What is the most common objection you encountered from a human resources professional or hiring manager in a job search? I’d like to learn how you countered those objections to get the job. Let me know and chances are good that one of your peers can benefit from this advice.