We've been interviewing people to work at Lighthouse Academies. Academic and business-ey people. After a few rounds of interviews, I have a few things that I would like to never hear again:

- "Dan, that's a really good question."

- "I think basing decisions on data is so important."

- "My worst quality? Hmmmm....I suppose you could say that I'm a perfectionist. I'm really hard on myself."

- "Do I have any questions? Yes, actually. What's the salary?"

- "Well, after I finished Harvard Business School and then worked as a strategic consultant for 10 years, I really thought I'd like to give something back. And I'm looking forward to, you know, a more reasonable schedule and lifestyle."

Some advice:
- Don't ask the salary until the second date, please.
- Don't imply that you assume that this job will be easier because we're paying you less than McKinsey did. It makes us feel like suckers.
- Perfection is not a negative quality just because you got beaten up for it when you were little. Here's a better answer: "I'm sort of full of myself."