… the HR Minion. Because even minions have opinions. And giggles.

This is a job interview, not a comedy club.

I’m going to keep this simple: Please. Don’t. Crack. Jokes. During. The. Interview.

I know you are nervous. I know you are trying to appear nice, interesting, engaging, whatever. But your goal in this interview should not be to make me laugh; it should be to impress me with your ability to do the job. Laughter is great in an interview… when it comes naturally. Any humor you get in an interview should be spontaneous, effortless, and genuine. Forcing it is bad, and just because I laugh good-naturedly at your awkward jokes, it does not mean I am amused.

I don’t care if you think you are the funniest person you know and all your friends agree. You don’t know me, you certainly don’t know what I find amusing, or how easy I am to offend. I don’t want candidates to be stiff, but I do expect them to be professional.

Blow me away with your abilities, not your sense of humor. That is all.

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3 Responses | Add your Own

  • 1 HR Underling :

    knock knock

  • 2 HR Maven :

    Recently, I had a candidate share his HILARIOUS experience driving in LA when he drank too much coffee and sat on the 10 freeway. Chortled telling me how he was looking around for a cup, a bottle, anything cuz, you know, you can’t get off the 10 in LA during rush hour ….

    (I immediately went into problem solving mode, wondering about the coffee cup itself but then thought better of it and kept my mouth shut).

    Why would you tell a woman that story? DOH.

  • 3 HR Minion :

    HR Underling – Who’s there?

    HR Maven – Too much information! Why don’t some people have boundaries? EWW.