Explain condition — and how you’ve grown
Dear J.T. & Dale: When I go out on interviews, how do I explain to the interviewer that my brain swelled up, causing me a multitude of problems? It caused me to lose consciousness at work, and it changed my personality. — Kyle
J.T.: I think you have to explain objectively the medical condition that occurred and the results.
DALE: But only if you can find a better explanation than what you’ve told us, Kyle. Hiring managers hearing about your passing out and having an altered personality are going to be skeptical and start
wondering if/when it will happen again. Then, once you have the interviewers’ imaginations engaged in what could go wrong, you’ve lost. It’s your job, as an interviewee, to help guide interviewers’ image of you — that’s “image,” as in their “imaginings” — and you want them to picture you as a thriving, upbeat contributor on their team, not to worry about your health or fluctuating personalities.
J.T.: That’s true, if the condition is a medical mystery. I hope that’s not the case, Kyle. I’m assuming you know the name for the condition and can explain that it has been cured. At that point, you can explain what happened as a learning experience and follow the model we recommend to our clients, the Experience + Learn = Grow model. What happened, what did you learn, and how has it changed you and made you more informed/better as a professional? They need to see that you’ve
used this experience to your advantage by having a positive mindset about it. That also helps them see that you are putting it behind you and making the most of life.
DALE: It will take less explaining if you can frame the medical condition so it’s less “medical.” For instance, what happened to you sounds like it could be related to a concussion. If so, you could say, “I had something that’s like a concussion, and it affected my work. But we got it figured out, and I’m healed and ready to get back in the game.” The goal is to take away any medical mystery and guide the conversation back to the future and that mental picture of you as ready to start contributing.
Dear J.T. & Dale: Near the end of a recent job interview, the hiring manager said he thinks I am overqualified and will get bored. What
can I say that might change his mind? — Marc-Henry
J.T.: It’s not likely you can say something at this point that changes his mind. The chance to do that was in the interview. But, since you’ve got nothing to lose, send an email that says something like this: “I know you think I’m overqualified and will get bored, but here are three reasons why that won’t happen:
(1) I prefer to know my job well and find ways to exceed expectations. I want a job where I feel confident that I can deliver.
(2) I’m at a stage in my career where working for an amazing company is more important than having a higher level job. Enjoying where I work is a
priority.
(3) I admire and respect what you have done as a leader. I want to work for and be in alignment with a leader who I can be proud to call my boss.
For those reasons, I really hope you’ll give me a chance!”
DALE: That’s a worthy longshot IF the hiring manager really was worried about your boredom. However, I suspect “overqualified” was code for “I can hire someone less experienced and pay him or her less.” If so, then your options are to either beg for less money (“I’m cheaper than you think!”), which has the whiff of dealkiller desperation, or try to sell yourself as providing exceptional value. You’d start with,
“While someone with less experience might do acceptable work, I believe I could add value by ...” Then you make your case. That might work, but even as I say so, I’m feeling that the manager probably had it right — time for you to look for more challenging and/or better-paying positions.
Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a career coach and the founder of the leading career site www.workitdaily.com. Dale Dauten is founder of The Innovators’ Lab. Please visit them at jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via email, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St, 15th Fl, New York, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803. (c) 2018 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.