TOTALLY GEEKED!

The videos were so annoying that I could not take the advice seriously. I'm pretty sure the article is directed at MIllenials, so it didn't matter anyway.

Zelda, I know you are still just a kid, but you might want to consider a healthier diet.

I'm a little bit curious about how an intern going to school for non-sense like marketing has the gall to advise people on job interviews. How about you go on a few before opening your mouth. It might also help to major in something that teaches an actual skill set. You might avoid generic, meaningless posts which you are unqualified to make.

You have a point about having an intern post something we're supposed to be taking seriously. However, I went to school for "non-sense like marketing." Concentrated in it when I got my MBA. I've now made a 16-year career out of marketing, and I just passed my 6-year anniversary with a massive tech company, making six figures. Of course, we should all be making six figures, if we're reading articles from The Ladders. Given that, my questions would be: How can someone who doesn't understand the absolutely critical nature of marketing be making six figures?

I agree with you, Paul. It sounds like Aaron is bitter about something. I, too have an MBA and loved my marketing classes. My concentration was accounting, though. I am currently seeking a position where I can use my skills. Marketing requires knowledge, but also creativity. I would love to do something that required my education, but also that was fun! Then it would not feel like work.

Dear Aaron, I happen to have the experience that you're mentioning. Although I didn't find the advice super insightful, your comments were unnecessarily rude and unproductive. @Hope, keep learning, writing and improving. Most of all laugh mean comments - they say a lot more about the people that give them than your abilities. For what it's worth, I almost NEVER leave a reply. First time for everything, I suppose....

Well said Mike! I'm sure most of us were thinking of saying the exact same thing to Aaron. I too appreciate Hope's article and 'hope' to see more of the same in the future.

Oh, and don't forget not to condescend or go "red bull" ad hominem on people, doesn't reflect well on you.

Hi, Aaron. That comment is mean. Just because she is an intern does not mean that she has no clue. This is actually good advice. You took the time to read it. Do you have anything beneficial to say about the material you have read or are you just focused on the author's title?

How unnecessarily rude. There is nothing wrong with this article. Keep the ad hominems to yourself.

Wow Aaron, you just validated everything Zelda had to say. You made yourself absolutely obnoxious by opening your mouth too much!.

I am a little surprized that ladders.com would not have filtered the negative, inappropriate, presumptuous post made by Aaaron Olk about the author.

Thanks for the tips, Hope. I thought your pizza and pancake comment was a nice, humorous touch to your bio.

Do you really think that anyone who needs your qualifications cares about you and your 'fit' into their muddled fantasy world. In three months you will be gone.

I thought the same thing when she talked about not mentioning personal information, then being childish in her bio by mentioning pizza and pancakes. (Who cares) the space should have been used convincing us she has something to offer rather than vice versa. Thanks for wasting my time on obvious generalizations.

You have to realize that these "obvious generalizations" are not obvious to some people. I have learned that sometimes intelligent people can sound quite condescending even when they do not mean to. There are some people that may not know that it is inappropriate to talk about their personal life in an interview. I consider myself above average as far as intelligence goes, but I also realize that people skills are also important in an interview. Being negative or telling people that their comments are obvious generalizations can be hurtful. Just consider the other person who is only trying to help.

Agreed Aaron, this article would carry a lot more weight if it were written by someone with more experiences. I honestly don't see any merit in the article regardless, if you don't know the importance of JUST BEING PROFESSIONAL then this article isn't going to help you.

I thought she could have mentioned the importance of being yourself in an interview. First impressions are great, but if your personality doesn't mesh well with a potential manager and/or team, conflicts could arise. No one likes a robot!

Aaron Olk was right. These little 'How to help yourself land a job' always make me feel like Charlie Brown when he is trying to kick the football and Lucy pulls it out from in front of him. I take the time to read these thinking maybe, maybe there will be some useful insight and it tells me 'Don't be 15 minutes late, don't talk about your political beliefs, don't make a pass at the interviewer.' OK, I added the last one but it is about as insightful. "Hoe to lose a job offer in 10 minutes" is just some intern working to help HER resume, not my interviewing skills.

You're absolutely right Greg. LADDERS, you should know that we're all professionals here. If you want us to read these things they should 1) Be written by an actual expert and 2) cover something we actually might not know. New trends that you're seeing from employers. Any weird tips you may have that you've garnered over years of experience in the field of HR, etc, etc. If you keep telling us the sky is blue, your click and open rates on these emails is going to fall through the floor.

Just some EXPERT advice from a professional marketer.

Well. That was 5 minutes of my life that I'm not getting back. First, The title is not really related to the content. Just because you are getting an interview, it doesnt mean that you are getting a job offer. Then, your article is targeted at professionals who are job seekers, there is no need for the crazy animated pictures - you are not talking to teen-agers. It only made your points lame. All-in-All, you just cost the ladders a follower. I'm not going to be reading your articles again until you graduate and get a real job my dear. If you keep writing articles like this, they will only be good for facebook posting and poking, not for professionals. As for the Ladders, since they charge for their membership, they should offer professional advice from professional writers, not opinions from someone who spends most of her time at Joe’s Pizza or anywhere that serves pancakes all day. and a Have a nice career.

So an "intern" is showing the world the art of landing jobs??? Anyone who follows the Ladders actually deserves it

Well, the author is trying to help, but I agree... someone with more experience under their belt would be a better choice. However, I am not surprised... TheLadders to this day, cannot help me sort out the difference between my profession and receiving all sorts of job opportunities just because some fragment of my profession is in other Job Titles. Not something I consider paying for.

Maybe you guys don't understand what it is to be an Intern. She probably has asked proffessionals that she works with on tips. Plus, a lot of the advice she relates on here is written in other places and taught in classes for interviews. Plus, not only is she going to college, she interns, runs media and has her own blog. Not many people can do that. She is showing that she can multi task and since she is not interviewing for a job, she put a little humor in her bio. I am sure her resume would not have any mention of pizza or pancakes(which I love both).

Agreed on many counts - they are pretty obvious points. The article may have well told me to wear a suit or not ask if I can bring my pet to work. That said, were you really expecting to learn anything here? And why pick on some poor little intern just doing her job? That said, it's really not her job to give interview advice -- she's here to sell the services of the website. Since she got all of you to read the article, perhaps she's better than you're giving her credit for.

Perhaps, Adrienne. Yes I read this article, but the real question is: What happens next time I get one of these emails? This is Marketing 101 in regard to electronic and social campaigns. If you can't be relevant, you will most assuredly be ignored.

You make a great point. She got us to read the article by having a flashy title which might be good marketing, but bot ethical. In order for us to read the article, we stopped doing something else, and we came her because of the brand and trust associated with theLadders.com, not because of the writer's creditability. The issue here is that she needs to learn that time is value, and being a marketing student, bait and switch is un-ethical. thats the point. But, to the other commenters point, anyone who follows the ladder deserves it, so mark the ladders.com email as spam. :)

To the author: Next time don't spend so much time inserting distracting jittery pictures...

Although this isn't extraordinarily impressive and shocking content to any of us, the fact is that author is interning at a company that you all respect enough to follow and read their advice. While this article doesn't have the greatest content, it has to have been approved by management and followed the necessary steps to end up featured on the site. If you think the content is poor, I agree. But is it necessary to make a joke of yourself and establish "who you are" to knock down a college student? Not very good hiring material if you ask me.

the distracting pictures really made her point -- wish she could have added some video. People, don't be so hard on someone because they are an intern. Don't you think her supervisor approved her post?

I'm guessing you sent her an email asking her out on a date after you came to her rescue with this post.

This is the business world, not the charity world. I pay for The Ladders services, they work for me. We're doing her a favor. She can either take this criticism and learn from it, or ignore it to (at least the short-term) detriment of her career.

And to Hope herself: Welcome to the real world, millennial. It's rough out here.

I agree with Aaron and most of the commenters above. This article didn't provide any real advice and was, in fact, an embarrassment. The Ladders' next email should be an apology for this rubbish.

For gods sake take my email OFF you listserve! I do not want to receive any more if this crap. Really- an intern giving job interviewing advice.

Lj: How about clicking "Stop receiving these emails" just below where you clicked to get here.

I am really disappointed by this article. I would expect something more professional than this from Ladders (a $100k + target job seeker site). Too much twilight. You totally missed your target audience and the formatting is really off. $100k job seekers do not need this advice.

We pay for this? Really?

Contrary to many comments I thought these points were excellent reminders of how many candidates lose opportunities in interviews. What is interesting is that what most are saying is common sense is rarely common practice. As someone who has managed recruiting functions, some of the behaviors exhibited during an interview are in the unbelievable category.

I especially appreciated the first point on knowing when to stop talking or recognizing boundaries during an interview. All too often candidates are lulled into believing the person across from them is a friend or someone they can and should trust, which may not always be the case. Each candidate must remember why they are there and how are the cross-walking their knowledge and experiences against the job requirements. One of the most important factors to keep in mind is culture, which is rarely captured in a job description and to remember that the interview is a two-way process.

Finding the right environment where one is able to flourish both personally and professionally is a difficult task. Minimizing or dismissing any of the points listed in the article has been the downfall of many candidates I interviewed in my 20 years of experience.

Thank you for the points and relevant video clips, they reminded me of many who either progressed or didn't in the organizations I've served.

The 'Hope defending' attempts are weak. It is illustrative of her reality to use the tacky pictures of immature pop culture. As a mature professional expecting to read a professional article, I am offended by the I sult on my intelligence. As far as the ladders, they merely regurgitate job posting from other sites, so I'm blocking now as well.

Aaron may have been rude, but he was spot on. This article was a waste of time and because of it I am unsubscribing from further Ladders updates of this kind. The marketing headline "worked", so as an exercise in lead generation, Hope gets an A, but in regards to conversion, she gets an F.

No Rick Barton, maybe if someone is interviewing for McDonalds or Best Buy retail adn they are under 25, then these tips were helpful. For the target audience of $100k plus job seekers with experience, if that article is NOT common sense then that person needs to stay away from the Ladders altogether and go apply somewhere more suited to their lack of professionalism.

In truth, I let my subscription to the Ladders go because CareerBuilder has generated me far more quality leads in the $100k + range than the Ladders did, and this article is just more support that there are better job seeking alternatives out there for the middle to senior level job seeker.

I have to agree with the majority of the responses above. This article was a huge disappointment. It did not contain any truly new or useful information and the inclusion of the Gifs was not only unnecessary but distracting. However, the writer is an intern and I'm pretty sure she's had a hands on learning experience reviewing the comments left here. I would recommend to The Ladders (since while she definitely wrote and crafted the article, the writer is not ultimately responsible for its release--it would have been approved by established Ladders employees) that they try to ensure their content is represented by qualified and experienced contributors. And that it is fresh and useful advice, presented in a professional manner.

I would, however add that while this article has caused people to lose interest in The Ladders, I would wager money that the writer's art site, blog and pizza hangout have been subject to a Google spike. Maybe her online marketing skills are inadvertently better than one may think?

People take the time to spout hostile comments at an intern and then talk about how valuable their time is. It is amusing as it is ironic. I'm with Rick Barton on this one. What makes common sense does not always end up as common practice. Because it is so obvious, it gets overlooked or lost in practice. I appreciated her comments as an aide-memoire of interviewing fundamentals. My daughter can use it when she goes on her next interview.

How do you (article author) expect people to focus on your information when there are animated frames between every paragraph? Not what I expected from a LinkedIn resource. Really?

These "career" advice PsOS are inane. Obvious and adding no value. I knew in high school to keep my thumb out of my orifices, take a shower, dress neatly and be on time and act neutral towards the slime bag interviewing me.

Interviewing is like decorating - 90% preparation and 10% application. Prepare yourself by finding out as much as you can about the position and abut the company - its local standing and reputation, its stock market listing (ask for a copy of the accounts or annual statement). Suss them out as much as they will you!
At interview look 'em in the eye! This may make you appear a threat to their tidy wee holes but this is exactly what business is made of!. Compete/conform or be cast out - from either,side of the table!

What would have been a more meaningful article for me to read is how to spot an interviewer who is either going through the motions because he or she has an in-house candidate in mind for the position, the position is not funded or the interviewer has no idea what he or she is doing and scans your resume for the first time minutes before or during the interview. BTW does it not occur to folks who write these articles that HR people also view these sites and look for behaviorial flaws that mirror these tips in the candidates whom they interview? Why arm them with this knowledge?

:( I'm sorry, the Ladders used to be known as the place for 100K+ jobs, :(
now what next Linked IN :( articles from third graders who will say Shine Your Shoes :( & Brush your Teeth :(
And using GIF's :( with branding and watermarks, google search? SO SO SO UNPROFESSIONAL!
what NEXT? DONT USE CAPS? or EMOTICONS :(

I hear it helps to dress professionally for the interview, too.

I enjoyed the tongue in cheek style of this, even if the advice was obvious you'd be surprised how many young job seekers blow interviews by talking to much, mumbling answers, and not showing any confidence.

However the commenting function on the site really needs a true multi-line text box, and without any kind of spam protection I'll bet it is a real effort to moderate.

I have interviewed countless people over the years and seen it all. These comments, while a little light-hearted are exactly correct. Not sure why Aaron Olk or some of the rest of the comments are so negative. I have seen everything listed here and then some. It may seem like common sense to most of us is completely new to many - doubt that? Look at the number of people with facial tattoos and ear gauges!

Thanks for all the comments. Everyone has great points, and this content isn’t for everyone. We try to write articles that hit every career management and job-search topic imaginable, so if this article isn’t for you, you’ll be sure to find relevant content in past and future articles.

TheLadders is a resource open to all professionals $40K+, which includes many entry-level candidates. Additionally, our blog is free and open to everyone, including many high school and college students. This article (especially the GIFs and hashtag reference) is geared toward that Millennial audience and categorized as “New to the Workforce.” With that said, many interviewees aren’t aware that they’re fidgeting, or may not have the confidence to sell themselves, so there are a few points that can be gleaned from this fun post.

Dear Ladders: Why does someone only seeking to make $40k a year need to pay for the same content that you can get for FREE on indeed.com and other sites. If this is the quality to be expected from millennials, we are in trouble. This is not Huffington Post, Gawker or what have you. This is Ladders and should portray professional standards no matter which generation it is. You have 6 seconds to make a good impression on a website and this article coupled with your response greatly devalues your organization and my view of it. I have worked in the marketing industry for 19 years. If I submitted any content similar to this as professional, I would be kicked to the curb and have my career ruined. I hope the young lady learns from this and learns how to produce more professional content and display her graphics in a better format than what is shown above.

Do not forget to bring two company of your rese to the interview🚣

If one is applying for a job in marketing then it may be appropriate for the interviewer to nit pick the exact presentation of the person who is interviewing. After all, marketing is about positioning, presentation, consistency of marketing messages, product differentiation, etc. However, for many positions, what and how much the person knows and how they have consistently performed under fire is 1000 times more important than polish presentation. (I'm not implying that these things aren't important for marketers too.) Generally, the interviewers who don't know enough to be able to gage the interviewee's depth of knowledge, insights, and range of abilities focus on the BS in the interviewing tips articles. Yes, of course, one shouldn't show up late for an interview. What professional needs to be told that? I digress. My main point is that we have people participating in the interview process that have no business being involved. Would Einstein, Edison, or Steinmetz (to name just a few) have ever made it through some of the silly HR screens deployed routinely today? Surely Steve Jobs would - - - not. So, let's get back to basics by assembling interviewing teams solely of those who are competent to interview high talent people. I have an M.B.A. with emphases in both international business and marketing with an additional graduate certificate in entrepreneurship. I also have a bachelor's and a master's degree in physics and have other undergraduate and graduate degrees. I'm not one of those folks who screens interview candidates based on pattern matching of jargon and acronyms that I don't understand. Frankly, I don't see how those who screen candidates on this basis and focus on the superfluous add materially to the interviewing process.