Let’s face it. We all love to look good. Even more so when it comes to impressing a hiring company.

You’ve got so much at stake. You’ve spent hours researching (or having Executive Agents do it for you); and invested a great deal of time and effort into getting to the interview stage. A big promotion awaits you, along with a boost to your earnings. You want this job more than ever.

However, in your discussions some minor issues come up that in your eagerness to be complicit and do everything you can to impress the board/hirers you brush over. It could be something like being responsible for an office in Azerbaijan, a distinctly different time zone.

Congratulations, you’ve scored the role.

Three, six or twelve months down the track, you’ve had to be on the phone to the Azerbaijan office every night at 2am for the last month. You’re sleep deprived and your personal relationships are suffering. The dream job doesn’t quite seem like the dream job now.

At Executive Agents we see this happen time and time again, particularly in senior roles where the competition in the hiring process is intense. Issues that seem minor and esoteric during the hiring process begin to snowball and become big problems further down the track.

Do you ask all the necessary questions in the interview process? For some people, asking potentially confronting questions can be an uncomfortable experience.

Sensitively and assertively questioning issues that may appear minor at face value ultimately benefits both the candidate and the hiring party. Not only does it mean things can get ironed out right at the start but it also, from the perspective of the hiring company, shows that the candidate is conscientious and able to think ahead.

In your next interview, consider: is looking good actually looking good?