Imagine for a moment that an amazing job candidate is about thirty minutes into a very important job interview. The candidate, who can be called Joe, and the hiring manager seemed to have hit it off from the very beginning. Joe has so-far aced all of the job-related questions that the hiring manager has asked him so far. Because the hiring manager has had such a pleasant personality, Joe has been put completely at ease. He is very certain that, at this point, he is definitely a ”shoo-in” for the job. The, out of nowhere, the hiring manager asks him, ”Joe, tell me about your boss.”

Suddenly, a small alarm goes off inside of Joe’s head. He takes a minute to think about the question because he’s not exactly sure how to answer it, or rather, answer it truthfully. This may be a ”trap,” thinks Joe. ”How can I say something positive about my jerk of a boss?” Joe asks himself. After all, his current boss is the reason that he is looking for a new job! The hiring manger, sensing Joe’s hesitation, quickly adds, ”Oh, you can be honest with me Joe. Let’s face it, we’ve all some pretty bad bosses during our time of employment, including me. Just tell me the truth. I assure you I’ll understand.”

Yes! Joe thinks to himself, once again settling back into a sense of relaxation. For a moment there Joe though he might have blown it.

”Well, all right,” Joe finally admits, and then he immediately begins to describe every detail, chapter and verse, everything that he feels is wrong with his current boss. He brow-beats all of his employees. He consistently takes all the credit for work that is really done for those under his supervision. He is rude, boorish and very abrupt. Joe is literally leaving no stones unturned.

Joe actually did just blow it. He instantly and irretrievably branded himself as the annoying whiner and complainer that tears down all of his co-workers. The hiring manager was just ”game playing” when he said that Joe could be honest with him.

Unfair? Of course it is. But there is even more bad news: Today, the hiring managers and the companies that they work for do not play fair. You have to either accept these facts, then the new rules, or you will be quickly eliminated as a perfect candidate in today’s job market, just like Joe was.

Joe, of course, should have just listened to his gut and gone with his first instinct. The hiring manager did set up a ”trap” for Joe, and he fell right into it. As a result of not catching the trap, Joe candidacy ended right then and there. He was excluded from any further consideration for the job that he was applying for.