Don't give the hiring manager gifts!

It’s easy to start to panic about the job search process. You’re sending out resumes, not getting any callbacks, going on interviews, not getting any callbacks. It all seems like such a hopeless endeavor.

Then you read an article about standing out from the crowd. And you think—yeah, I need to do that--what can I do that will be different than everyone else?

Then you start to send “gifts.”

One of my good friends is a HR Director and she called me this week eager to tell me about a candidate’s latest attempt to stand out.

During the interview, the candidate directly compared their workstyle to a superhero cartoon. It was a memorable analogy, I would have recommended that he talk about a specific work instance where he demonstrated that quality that he used the superhero to illustrate, but it’s impossible to land every answer. It would have been OK if the candidate just left it at that.

However, instead of letting it go, the candidate sent my friend a thank you note in the form of an e-card featuring an animated superhero. Ouch! E-cards are NEVER professional. They’re what you send your friends when you forgot to put a card in the mail. They’re a cute pick-me-up to send to someone who is going through a rough time. They are never, under any circumstances, appropriate to send to a manager. NEVER!!!

Then as the candidate was leaving, he gave her a small tin of candies. This seems like a nice gesture on the surface, but let’s backtrack for a sec and think about the purpose of the job interview.

The hiring manager is looking for someone who is qualified to do the job and will fit in well with the company’s culture. That’s it. If you don’t meet that criterion, you won’t get the job. They won’t call you back thinking “well, I am not sure that he could really do the job, but he did give me a cute tin of cookies, so I’ll give him another shot.” No, won’t happen. Either your personality and skills are what they’re looking for, or they’re not.

Think of it this way. We’ve all gone through the grocery store when they’re passing out free food samples. I’ve even made a small meal out of it, but that’s another story. Just because they offer you a free sample, do you feel obligated to purchase the product if you don’t like it? If it doesn’t wow you, you don’t buy it. You move on and buy something yummy. Same goes for leaving gifts for the hiring managers. If you don’t have the goods, you won’t get the job. No matter how cool the gifts you give them.

So focus on prepping yourself for the interview. Come up with examples of your great work experiences that you want them to remember, show them that you’re the perfect candidate to do the job they’re looking to fill. Give them a Christmas gift when you’re they’re co-worker.