Mea Culpa

Good Monday morning,

Have you ever made a goof in the interviewing process and were so embarrassed you could just die? The cup of coffee spilled across a desk, discovering your shirt's been unbuttoned the whole time, asking for a Coke when you're interviewing at Pepsi?

Well, if you have, then you know how I feel after reading your e-mailed feedback on last week's newsletter: "Marc's Feedback on Your Resume."

I'm going to say "sorry" first, and then let's talk about how any of us can recover from life's little (or big) mistakes...

Mea culpa is Latin for "my fault" and is used colloquially today to mean "I sure did goof." And, boy, did I ever.

Most of you who wrote in felt last week's newsletter was condescending, slick salesmanship, or irrelevant as you'd already had your resume professionally written.

On my part, Readers, it was a well-intentioned effort to encourage all 900,000 of you to go out and get your resume professionally written. That's my sincere advice after being in this business for the better part of a decade, and having too often witnessed the gold-plated candidate represented by a fish-wrapper resume.

But the road to hell, dear Readers, is paved with good intentions. And after reading my newsletter last week, some of you felt I should go ahead and take that road!

As you may know, I read all of your e-mail replies back to me. Since I'm pretty quick to share the glowing ones with you, it's only fair that I learn from the tough love ones too:

Although you make an excellent point (the importance of a professionally written resume), your tone of writing is rather condescending. Surely not the best approach to selling?

You may benefit from a professional writer's advice yourself, or you simply need to remember your target audience ($100k+ professionals) and write accordingly. Your readers would appreciate it.

Sincerely,

J.

Ouch, J. But thank you for your honest critique!

You lose credibility sending a generic letter indicating that several people need to have their resumes professionally written. You obviously have not read these email in any detail. Advice like that I can live without.

Respectfully,

David

Thanks for that, David. My e-mail's subject line "Marc's Feedback on Your Resume" was a too-clever trick to get your attention, and you're right that the generic advice came across flat.

My resume HAS BEEN professionally rewritten.

It would be nice if you wouldn't send these kinds of emails, masquerading as advice and counsel, which simply hawk your site's services, regardless of whether a subscriber needed them or not.

Rebecca

I appreciate the feedback, Rebecca. I should've also pointed out that the resume writers we recommend are NOT employees of TheLadders.com, but rather the best independent resume writers in the country. They are professionals running their own businesses, and have been selected for recommendation by our Editorial team.

Marc - Good story, thanks. Jim

Jim! Thanks for the good word! Some folks did like the newsletter, but, alas, that doesn't make the many valid criticisms sting any less.

It's difficult to take advice from someone who includes "aint" in their
letter. I don't think I would even get an interview if I wrote a cover letter like that.

 

Candy

Good point, Candy. I suppose I was trying to make the sometimes anxiety-inducing topic of "getting your resume ready" a little bit more accessible by being homespun. It didn't work.

So, Readers, many apologies to you all for a newsletter last week that came across as condescending, sales-y, or misleading due to the subject line. I'm very terribly sorry to have been a source of frustration for you, rather than what I strive to be week-after-week: a resource you can rely on for great career advice.

My effort last week was a mistake, and a painful one for me as I really do seek to be the best writer and advice-giver that I can be for all of our loyal readers.

All of which brings us back to our topic for the week: how do you recover from that seemingly fatal interview gaffe? If you goofed as bad as I did, can you still recover and get that plum job?

Mistakes, folks, are a part of life. And how you handle a mistake in the interview process shows a lot about how you'll handle the inevitable goofs that occur in any professional's life.

I've got five steps for you: acknowledge, apologize, fix, explain, and move on.

Acknowledge the goof. They know it. You know it. Leaving the elephant standing in the room without acknowledging it will just lead to a level of discomfort that will color the interviewer's perception of your time together. Saying "you know, I can't believe I just named your competitor when talking about your product strategy" is a good start to overcoming adversity.

Apologize for your error. Showing remorse and a sincere sense of contrition, briefly but persuasively, lets the interviewer know that you're sensitive to the impact a mistake can have on others.

Fix it, if you can. If you'd sent your letter to Mr. Chris Parker, and, in the flesh, she's definitely not a Mister, let her know you want to address it: "Since you're obviously not Mr. Parker, do you prefer Ms. or Mrs.?"

Explain how you came to make the mistake. You're late for the interview because your current boss pulled you into an unscheduled strategy meeting and you simply weren't able to phone ahead. Let your interviewer know the circumstances that caused your seemingly unprofessional behavior.

Move on. You've made your case, you're awfully sorry about it, and you've done everything you can to make it right. Now get on with your interview. Dwelling on it, or letting one of life's little setbacks sidetrack your opportunity to shine, is not going to present you as a professional that can overcome adversity. Get on with it, and let them know all that is good and great about you.

Paradoxically, a mistake can be a great chance to shine. By handling a goof with grace, good sense, and professional decorum, you can make a lasting impression on your interviewer as somebody who can be counted on in a crunch.

And with that, you just might find that your interviewer will appreciate your candor and sensibility, forgive you, and see all the good that you're trying to achieve in a new light.

I sure do hope you'll feel the same way about me.

Well, that's a spoonful of my own medicine, Readers, and I thank you, as always, for your loyalty, your support, and your getting me back on the right track when I stray.

Thanks, Readers, and here's to a great week of $100k+ jobs!