Hot take: Asking for a "dream job" in an interview is a huge red flag

I sit on hiring panels for my station sometimes and every time someone says their dream job is "helping customers" or "making a difference" I know they watched one too many LinkedIn videos. Last week a guy told me his dream was to deliver smiles. I almost choked on my coffee. Just tell me you can handle a 10 hour route in the rain without crying and we're good. Who else has had an interview go south because of this fake enthusiasm stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_morgan182d ago

Jumped into an interview last year and the candidate said their dream job was "to turn frowns upside down." @marybutter i swear i almost asked if they moonlight as a clown at kids parties. Instead i just stared at my notes for a solid 5 seconds wondering if this was real life. The worst part is they doubled down when i asked about handling angry customers - said they'd "love the opportunity to spread sunshine." I just nodded and moved to the salary talk real quick.

marybutler2d ago

Dream jobs exist, cynicism is just cheaper than hope.

emmaking2d ago

Oh man, I feel like I've been in that exact chair. Best move I learned was to just say "okay, let's talk about a tough day at work - like a day where nothing went right. How do you handle that?" and see if the sunshine answer holds up. Usually the dream job people drop the act real fast when you push past the script.