What's the point of an interview?
Recently a candidate called me after an interview, they’d had an awful experience, didn’t feel prepared and was unhappy that I hadn’t prepared them for a “Behavioural Interview” which is how the client later described it to me.
I’ve interviewed countless people over the years, not just for my clients but also for my own positions, and I’d never come across a “Behavioural Interview” in fact the more I talked to my candidate the more it became clear – the interview was nothing to do with the job at all, there were no questions relating to the position, just “how would you react to……. or similar types of questions.
My candidate said immediately they weren’t interested in the role as neither interviewer seemed engaged or deviated from the list of questions they had, it wasn’t personal. It came as a big surprise that my candidate was offered the job, but no surprise to me that they rejected it. However my client was hugely surprised, they didn’t understand, they thought the interview went very well, the questions were well answered and the “behaviours” displayed were spot on, they thought they’d fit in perfectly.
What they didn’t expect was someone whom would reject them, after all, the behaviours displayed were exactly as they wanted. I did point out it was relatively easy to manipulate such an interview and give the right answers, without them actually being the “right” answer for the candidate. The interviewers didn’t pick up on the body language, or properly look at the candidate as they were too busy writing notes.
There are of course other interviews where the interviewer doesn’t shut up, they just ramble on about how good they are, and not giving the interviewee much chance of a say, equally as bad.
Interviewers – here are some basics:
1) Engage with the candidate, look them in the eye, listen and interact.
2) The interviewer(s) are actually the face of the company, selling the company etc.
3) Interviewees are equally trying to establish whether they like the company.
4) Interviews are not a one way conversation.
5) A stuffy, formal interview, likely reflects a similar attitude in the office or if not, how would the candidate have any other idea that isn’t the case?
6) Talk about a candidates’ experiences, and history, understand their motivations make them feel important, rather than just another candidate.
7) Relax, the more relaxed a candidate is the more honest and truthful they will be, they will probably reveal more if they don’t feel like they are in an interview.
8) Don’t ever ask “what are your strengths?” or “what are your weaknesses?” Just don’t, you’ll only ever get what the candidate thinks they should say.
I am sure there are plenty more, I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel, just a gentle reminder. Always remember, an interview is a chance meeting for both side to assess whether a mutual relationship could prosper. It needs both sides to tick affirmative in order to proceed.
