IHOP's president reveals the one personality trait that turns him off in a job interview
(Natalie Walters/Business Insider)
Darren Rebelez, president of IHOP.
If you’re hoping to get hired at IHOP, whether as a chef or a top executive, it helps to know what the leadership team is looking for.
And there’s hardly a better time to find out than on March 8, National Pancake Day, when you can score free flapjacks at IHOP locations across the country.
In honor of the holiday, this morning Business Insider sat down with IHOP’s president, Darren Rebelez, at an International House of Pancakes in East Harlem, New York City.
Rebelez said that he looks for different traits and skills depending on the role the candidate’s applying for. But there’s one trait that can put you out of the running immediately, no matter which position you’re seeking: a big ego.
Here’s Rebelez:
It just doesn’t fit our culture. We don’t have room for it. I find that people with big egos, the work tends to be about themselves and not about the job itself or the company or the broader goals. I’m a big proponent of teamwork and so we don’t have a lot of room for that in a big-ego environment.
Interestingly, Whole Foods’ CEO, Walter Robb, said much the same thing in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. According to Robb, he eliminates people who display “a lack of humility and an over sense of self-promotion.”
So how do you show that you can share the spotlight during a job interview?
Steve Pogorzelski, group president of job site Monster Worldwide, told Fortune that when he asks candidates about their professional successes, he’s looking to see whether they take all the credit and say “I” instead of “we.”
Likewise, when he asks about their failures, he wants to see them own up to their mistakes.
Bottom line: You can and should showcase your skills and talents, but be sure to communicate that you can be a team player, too.
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