Breaking through the interview cycle

By Daisy Carrington, amNewYork Deputy Features Editor | dcarrington@am-ny.com

May 21, 2007

I am writing on behalf of my husband. He is an experienced visual merchandiser who has been unemployed for a few years. He has interviewed at least 500 times! His last job ended because of a confrontation with a difficult store manager. Do you think he has been blacklisted? What can he do from here on?

Rest assured, if the difficult store manager is spreading rumors about your husband throughout the industry, your husband has grounds to sue him.

According to Kate Wendleton, president of premier career coaching organization, The Five O'Clock Club, an employer is not allowed to say anything that can prevent someone from getting a job.

That said, if your husband is listing his former place of employment on his resume or job applications, it is possible that perspective employers are calling that manager themselves.

If this is the case, Wendleton advises getting a friend to call the store, and pretend they are a hiring manager interested in hiring your husband. If the store manager gives your husband a negative review, then your husband needs to pay the store manager a visit.

"They need to work out a deal," says Wendleton, "he can feed the store manager some lines, focus on the aspects of the job he did well. If the manager doesn't want to do that, then he should pass the call on to someone else who would be willing to say good things."

Again, if the manager isn't willing to do either of these things, he could risk a lawsuit.

However, there is also the possibility (and it's a strong one) that your husband is somehow sabotaging himself in the job interview.

Perhaps he's selling himself short in person, or coming off as lacking confidence. It's also possible that he's not targeting stores that match his skills and experience.

Wendleton advises the following targeting 20-40 stores (and no less!) that are a good match. In other words, he shouldn't be applying for jobs just because he's desperate for a job.

He also needs to have a presentation ready for his interview, and he needs to have a good answer to the questions, "what have you been doing for the last two years?" and "why did you leave your last job?"

Possible answers: "I was exploring to see what I really wanted to do, and decided that this industry is where I want to be," or "I left my last job due to department cutbacks."

Basically, both answers should be positive, and forward-looking. Your husband should also come up with a list of accomplishments he wants to discuss in each interview, regardless of the questions that are asked of him.

"It's just like being a politician: It doesn't' matter what they get asked, they always know the answer."