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Cry, Pull Your Hair Out, Laugh… Repeat

Yanta by | May 2, 2014 | Adventures in Interviewing, Employee Hiring, Interview Techniques, Selecting Good Candidates

http://vbrisket.com/veeam-v9-new-features/ StressLast week, I placed a great employee in the right job with a great company, and everyone is really excited. We all remember those moments in the interview process when we wanted to pull our hair out. You have candidates that just don’t show up. You have the candidate that looks right at you and says “WOW! I don’t like doing that type of work.” (True story) You have the potential employee who shows up late with no apology or excuse and then proceeds to interrupt you for the entire interview. UGH! I have had days where I just wanted to bang my head against the interview table over and over… and over again.

And then? When you least expect it, when you think that you will NEVER find the right person EVER…Your dream candidate walks through the door. They are on time, bring extra copies of resumes, references, and homework. They’ve done their research. They ask great questions and bring solutions, and then they end the interview by telling you that this is their dream job. They make it through the entire process and they love the offer.

And the kicker? They can start on Monday.

Every single time I begin an interview process I know that I am in for a roller coaster ride. I am going to laugh, cry, pull my hair out, bang my head on the table, but then… I am going laugh, because I’m so happy for my clients and the candidate that they have found. I feel proud, because we got through the process and it is the right fit for all. Then, I am going to shed a little tear, because the job is over. It is time for me to leave and go work with others, and the process starts all over again. Sniff!

 

Godzilla and Me

GodzillaI interviewed a woman via Skype with one of my out of state clients. When my video popped up, she said “WOW! You look like Godzilla!” (Swear.)

For the past 3 weeks, I have been racking my brain trying to figure out how being compared to a slobbery, atomic mutant reptile can possibly be a compliment… maybe I am bigger than life? Loud? Dry skin?

The more important concept to consider here is how an outburst like this might affect your customers.  If she said this to an important client or a big donor, those potential clients might be unwilling to sign that contract that you are wanting them to sign. They might not want to do business with you. People have pulled their business away for a lot less than being called Godzilla.

Meanwhile, we will be looking for another candidate and I will be moisturizing heavily. 

Do not just change your pants!

My daughter, Katy and I were having a girls’ night in recently, complete with the Texas Longhorn football game, pajamas and of course, pizza. I asked her if she wanted to ride in the car with me to go pick up our food, and she enthusiastically agreed. Appearing to be ready to leave, she had on her pajama shorts, fuzzy purple slippers and her fleece peace sign jacket. I said “Its 49 degrees outside. You might want to change your pants.” So, she did. When she came out of her room with her chocolate brown moose p.j. bottoms, she looked at me, looked down at her pants, and giggling said “This does not match! Now I have to change my shirt!” After that, she had to change her jacket, until finally; we left to go get dinner. We laughed hysterically about the change of clothes from the bottoms up!

Many of my clients look at hiring in exactly the same way as my daughter got dressed. They react to the circumstances as opposed to having a plan. When the pants leave, we will make the new pants work with the old shirt, even though the materials are all wrong and the outfit doesn’t suit the occasion. With just a bit a planning, changing your pants doesn’t have to ruin your whole outfit. So, how do you plan to avoid wardrobe mismatches?

Here are a few tips:

First: Take the time to look at your entire outfit. Before hiring people, who do you need and why do you need them? Look at the vision for your company. Where are you going? What type of skills and people will get you there? Think big. Then define your ideal candidate on paper.

Second: Write the job description. Re-write the past version if you have one. Do not just reuse the old one. What worked before may not work now. Look at the position from a new perspective and re-create it. You have a golden opportunity to transform this role.

Third: Pull it all together when writing your ad. This is where you put the finishing touches on the position. Invite people to apply by sharing your vision, the ideal person description and technical skills required. Make it appealing to attract the person you are seeking. 

To capture the attention of candidates, your presentation of your company is key. Be prepared. Make sure that the ideal candidate list matches the job description, which in turn matches the ad. It’s the entire outfit that makes the difference, not only to the candidate, but also ensures that you hire the right fit. Don’t just change your pants! Create a whole new look! 

Dating vs. Hiring: Are they the same?

With sweaty palms and a dry cotton mouth, Jane Smith opened the door and walked in. She approached the greeter and requested to meet with a certain person. She checked her hair and makeup in her hand mirror and then tried desperately to calm her nervous stomach. When she looked up, she saw the person that she was meeting, and she took a deep breath. “Here we go,” she thought. Is this a date or a job interview?

On the outside, the excitement of the first meeting, nerves and newness of it all give the interaction of an interview compared to a date an appearance of being the same. Candidates are in a vulnerable state when they walk into a job interview and going on a first date can produce similar feelings of vulnerability. But are they the same?

The largest difference between a date and a job interview is the power of the interviewer over the candidate. The interviewer decides when the interview will take place, its location, time of day, the agenda, whether there will be a second interview, whether the candidate gets the position and whether the candidate receives a “no thank you” for not retaining the position. All of the power sits with the employer. In dating, the 2 people come to the table as equals.  

This power difference is why employers struggle with interviewing. They are often as uncomfortable with the power differentiation as the candidate, unsure of how to get around an environment that brings about one individuals desire to please and the others role to choose. Their sole desire is to make a good assessment for their next hire, yet candidates are just telling them what they want to hear.  And of course they are! They are trying to find a job and willing to bear sweaty palms!

Do Looks Matter in Interviewing?

I ask my clients regularly about their thoughts on a candidate after the initial interview.  Usually, I get responses like: “He had a stain on his shirt” and “Did you notice the scuff marks on her shoes?” While I realize that first impressions are often centered on people’s appearances, it may not be a factor in your hiring decision.

I like to probe further and ask about their thoughts on the candidate’s personality. After lots of “Ummm’s” and deer-in-the-headlight looks, they finally come up with comments like: “They were a bit whiny” or “I’m not sure.”

Let me give an example. I interviewed a candidate who complained about his boss, his co-workers in multiple jobs, his company, and his work. Nothing and no one seemed to make him happy. During our interview rap up, I asked the client “So what did you think?” She responded with “His tie was askew.” I questioned further and uncovered that she really wasn’t impressed because she felt he was a whiner and would have difficultly working with him.

The very next candidate that we interviewed walked in well prepared. He presented a list of recommendations, asked well researched questions, and had a great attitude. He recounted how he had come to the business site 3 days before the interview to make sure that he would not get lost on the day of his interview. He said “Even if I don’t get the job, I wanted to tell you my thoughts on how this could be improved.” After he left, I asked my clients this question: “What was he wearing?” No one could remember. They didn’t even remember that he wore glasses! We hired him and he is currently in his third year.

The moral of this story is that when people are WOW’ed by someone, their looks don’t really matter. But when faced with a personality flaw, we often describe it in terms of their appearance, i.e. “The Whiner had an askew tie.”  When you are interviewing your candidates, remember to listen to their words and pay attention to their use of language and their preparedness. These qualities are much more indicative of their performance than their appearance.