CNN hiring manager faces backlash after sharing puerile insights from interviewing nearly 100 candidates on LinkedIn

Jacque Smith is a blonde blob of a woman with a blip of a brain. She’s the executive producer of CNN Digital, and last week, she bloviated her way into a boatload of online criticism with a longwinded LinkedIn post where she shared her hardly half-witted “insights” from her experience interviewing nearly 100 job candidates.

The post, which seemed to be intended as advice on best interview practices for job seekers, has sparked an unexpected backlash, drawing over 400 comments and 2,500 reactions from LinkedIn users.

Like an unwanted fourth grade teacher who had trouble breaking a 500 on the verbal reasoning portion of the SAT, in her post, Smith spelled out the qualities that helped candidates stand out: storytelling abilities, prepared examples, enthusiasm, and honesty about their limitations. She also noted the downfalls of unsuccessful candidates, one of whom, she claimed, “monologued” for 16 minutes after a single question. She advised candidates to pause and apologize if they felt they were rambling, a remark that some commenters – like Karen Pritchard – balked at.

Pritchard, an executive recruiter wrote, “you suggest the candidates that didn’t do well should ‘apologize,’ why?” To which Smith responded, “Apologize if they catch themselves rambling! It’s a way to show self awareness and give yourself a second to collect your thoughts before starting again.” Then, Justin Brown, an entrepreneurial journalist responded, “Jacque Smith is this a parody account? You can’t literally be saying this on LinkedIn wow.”

Others questioned the tone and accuracy of Smith’s post, suggesting it demonstrated a lack of empathy toward job seekers.

Another commenter, Joe Douglass, a self-described 3x Emmy-Nominated Producer and Legal Storyteller said, “I have to ask – what does their ability to answer these questions have to do with the job? Isn’t it possible that someone who nervously monologues might be amazing in the role?”

Another commenter, Daryl Krzewinski, humorously commented: “Curious: I see little mention of skills and ability to do the job. Were they interviewing for employment or a marriage proposal?”

Meanwhile, Daniel Pleh, a media professional, said, “Interesting and entertaining insight, thank you! However, I do miss one ‘minor’ piece of information: did you hire any of them at the end?”

Smith later responded to Pleh, confirming that CNN had indeed hired several candidates who met the criteria she described and expressing her excitement about welcoming them, but she didn’t specify what roles these folks were hired for, I’m going to guess Wolf Blitzer’s honorary toilet bowl cleaner, production assistant-assistant, and resident intern emeritus.

The backlash to Jacque Smith’s LinkedIn post highlights the mainstream media’s dwindling credibility, opening up space for independent organizations like mine to thrive as traditional outlets fade.