Interviewing with a Growth Mindset

Have you ever woken up at 6 am thinking about something random and you can't get back to sleep; no matter how hard you try, you keep thinking about this “thing?” Your brain analyzes it every which way, you try to go back to sleep, but somehow you end up thinking about the same “thing” again and never get into a deep sleep.

For me, this morning's “thing” was about people who complain that interviews are a “waste of time” if they don’t land the job. As someone who interviews several folks a week, I occasionally get this complaint. I hear “I don't want to waste my time if I can't make X amount of money,” or “I don't want to talk to you unless the job offers Y & Z technologies,” or “I wouldn’t even consider this job, why waste my time unless it's 100% remote!”

So why does this bother me so much that it keeps me awake? I think it goes back to advice from my dad when I started interviewing. His advice was you can't turn down an offer you don’t have, so put your best foot forward, be kind, be generous, be excited, even if at first glance the job doesn't seem right for you. It’s okay to ask probing questions in a nice way to help you decide if you would accept a job once offered, like “Will I be exposed or given the opportunity to use technology Y or Z with this job?” or “What are the upper salary possibilities with this position?” or “If I took a lower salary now, and proved myself, would you raise me to a higher number in the next cycle?”

Beyond my dad's advice, I look at each interview as a chance to get to know a new person, and if I feel like they share my company’s values and are competent in their discipline, then I put them on my “I want to hire someday” list. Even if it takes a year, two years, or five years, chances are I am going to find a way to work with this person eventually. At Solution Street, some of our folks were not a “fit” for the first Solution Street job they applied for, but they were a fit to our values and they were technically outstanding, so we found the right “first project” and they joined the team!

Interviewees should look at interviews the same way - as a chance to meet more people and build their network, to determine if a company’s values match theirs, and, even if the job is not a fit, to learn if future business with the company is possible, such as becoming suppliers, customers, or partnering on projects.

Another benefit of an interview is practice. Most of us don’t interview regularly, so when we do, we are usually out of practice. Doing an interview for a job that may not be a fit allows you to practice your interviewing skills and get feedback on how you did. After a recent live coding interview with one of our candidates, the candidate told me, “Wow that was fun, I was out of practice, but I really enjoyed the challenge.” I loved this response!

In Carol Dweck's book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, she talks about the fixed mindset and the growth mindset. The fixed mindset is where you believe all your qualities are carved in stone and the growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts, your strategies and help from others.

I believe that part of having a growth mindset is keeping an open mind and learning from new situations. Interviews are a great way to grow if your mindset allows it!