March Madness is always filled with competing emotions - joy and jubilation for the teams that win, while sadness and disappointment fill the hearts of the teams (and fans) on the losing side of the equation. Some handle both sides with class, while others lash out via social media or post-game interviews. There was even a coach who was criticized for dancing after a victory while his wife was recovering in the hospital from an emergency appendectomy. Some felt as though he should have been more subdued considering his personal situation.
Although I hope most interviews don't start with a 68-candidate pool, there are some similarities that can be drawn with the idea of a bracket and I want to explore some of the ways to handle both the unexpected "wins" as well as the heart-breaking losses.
First, let's consider how to handle things when an interview ends in unexpected heartache. You may feel like you prepared accordingly, really presented well and had a great conversation, but ultimately received the "Dear John" letter from the company. You now have a choice. You can "shake hands" and tell the company "good game" just as if you had lost the basketball contest. Or you can pout and head toward the locker room, only to complain to the reporters that you were robbed on a bad call or felt like it wasn't fairly officiated.
Unfortunately I have seen things go very badly when a candidate is told "no", especially if it is final stages. But you have to look at it from an objective perspective or it can affect future interviews and/or new roles. Once I had a candidate send a scathing email after being turned down, indicting the hiring manager for not following through on promises to hire the candidate. My client wisely chose not to reply and start a huge online fight, but it was certainly not the right approach. Now the candidate looks like a sore loser and will be forever tarnished within that organization. Additionally those people may end up working for another company and paths could cross with the candidate. Perhaps not likely, but always possible in this small world we live in today.
What is interesting about the NCAA tournament is that the losses sometimes galvanize a team and they come back stronger the next year. So if told "no", use it as an opportunity to dig deep, ask tough questions, and maybe even recognize some weaknesses. Use this momentum for the next interview and learn from the experience.
Now what about celebrating when things go right? There are many things that can actually go wrong here, believe it or not. I can recall a candidate going through 10-12 grueling steps in an interview process and was about to receive an offer. Only to find out some inappropriate ways in which he thanked the team that interviewed him, and they couldn't get past it. No offer came and the completely capable candidate will forever be remembered with my client as the one that got away.
The other common mistake comes during or after resignation. Candidates feel empowered once they have an offer and feel like they can talk trash about the soon-to-be former employer during an exit interview. Or perhaps they go about the resignation itself unprofessionally. It just shows poor sportsmanship and when you see it happen in March Madness, no one likes it.
With the tournament you expect some bad behavior or poor choices as most of the kids playing are only 18 or 19 years old. Do you remember what was going through your mind at that age? You likely thought you were invincible, didn't respect authority, and didn't think the choices you made would impact the rest of your life. But at some point the players have to understand they are an ambassador for the sport and their university. A lot has been given to them, and a lot is expected. The cameras are always on and a little slip-up can cause lack of focus or a fracture in the locker room.
So my advice for today when your job search bracket is busted is to act like you are on national television and anything you do or say could be forever remembered and replayed on YouTube. Represent yourself with class and positive thoughts. That way you will never regret anything.
Good luck with all of your bracketology, both basketball and search-related!
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