A few weeks ago, I received a call from a beloved client of mine. She said, “Beth! I have to tell you about the Drunk Guy we almost interviewed!”
Oh, boy.
+++No, this newsletter isn’t a nostalgic story about that frat party you once attended. (Which was really fun, by the way!)
According to my client, they had a candidate that the 4-person interview team was really excited about! This guy had all the bells and whistles: solid work history, a network in their industry, well- seasoned, knew someone who knew someone… you know how it goes.
They scheduled an in-person interview after a vetting process, and the guy called 15 minutes before his interview, slurring his words. The team cancelled the interview. Drunk Guy was very upset. Showed up to the interview anyway. It was a scene.
One of the interview team members turned to another one and said, “We have to call Beth.”
They asked me if this had ever happened to me. “Too many times to count,” I said solemnly.
We scheduled a Drunk Guy Recap, and we walked through how this guy got through the vetting process. One team member said “We got excited about his experience. That was a mistake, because we ignored all these other red flags. This was a much-needed re-set.”
Exactly right. Experience is important. But being a person of character, acting with integrity, and being able to resolve conflict is arguably MORE important. More obviously, so is showing up to an interview sober.
POWER THOUGHT: Hiring the wrong person is a sobering experience. Focus on attributes, and less on experience.