Interviews & Romance!

Yesterday amidst my HR class, a lively discussion on interviews ensued. I was stressing on the importance of impressing the interviewer on one hand and the ills of impression management on the other.

One can impress an interviewer in many ways, paramount amongst them being ability to cozy up to the interviewer, for the duration of the interview. In this age of hyperbole, people who do not play the game, will lose out and while you do not have to overdo the act of being agreeable during an interview you may be always be pleasant.

I liken an interview to a romance before marriage. Prior to marriage most couples are at their very best, in terms of behavior, dress and are generally exceedingly accommodating. It is post marriage that you get to see the warts and all, but then it is a little late in the day to repent. Job interviews are similar. The candidate is all sugar & honey and very agreeable at the interview. An interviewer who is ill prepared, generally misses vital clues to a potential candidate’s personality or attitude and could rue the selection later. It is quite easy to teach a person a new skill, but to alter his/ her attitude can be a herculean task.

Always listen carefully to the candidate. You can often pick up a word or a phrase in an answer which you can play back to the interviewee. This is one of the ways by which you can get something much more interesting or honest than expected. Interviews are not scripted questions and answers, they are serious professional conversations and hence you need to concentrate.

Getting rid of an unwanted employee can be a traumatic experience to all concerned so it is a good idea to get the right people on board in the first place and retain them. It is always judicious to prepare and research in advance. Whatever questions you wish to ask the respective candidate you must have substantial knowledge on that subject. You don’t need to prepare a list of questions but you must be sure of all that you want to cover in the interview session.

It is also good to remember that smart folk take charge of an interview and have you as an interviewer eating out of their hand. Be polite & firm, regarding the direction that you want an interview to take and do not waffle.

Divorces at home or at work are messy and needless. Much of the misery can be avoided if you interview well and get yourself up to speed in judging people.