Management Recruitment & The Interview From Hell!

Everyone has had one … a candidate for a senior and responsible management post, going through the recruitment process meets the company’s interviewer who asks a few short questions, says nothing about the company or the job, takes no interest in the candidate’s overall background and motivation and finishes with the immortal phrase:- “we’ll be letting you know.”

·         No one has gained anything

·         How much has the company lost?

Ø       The opportunity to learn about how a candidate’s company does things

Ø       Alternate approaches to manufacturing or marketing, etc

Ø       Learning quietly about other companies’ trade secrets or business development plans

Ø       “Selling” the employing company’s strengths

Ø       Making candidates leave an interview thinking well of the company

Ø       Getting the word out that it is a good company to work for

First of all, from the employer/interviewer point of view.

Anyone reading this will almost certainly – if not a perfect interviewer – at least be well able to grasp the implications of all the points made so far and will appreciate the opportunities which can be gained and achieved through good interviewing.

But what is happening at lower levels in your firm when potential secretaries, store keepers, junior technical staff, line operatives, drivers, etc are being interviewed?

Senior managers can easily learn to “charm” candidates for senior positions but your firm critically depends on the quality and commitment of not just a few “chiefs” but also the many junior staff.

For some years now, the perennial complaint of industry and commerce has been the shortage of skilled labour available.  In just the same way as your firm competes for business, it is also competing for the best workforce.  What you need is the word “out on the streets” that your firm is a good one to work for. 

What better accolade could you have than four or five people who have had their first interview and subsequently, talking to their mates in the pub, say … “I had an interview with XYZ company today … they were really nice and I enjoyed it … I do hope I get the job with them … I feel they let me give my best”.

Your name is getting known as an employer of interest at least.

But briefly – if you find yourself being put through an interview from hell, what should you do?

If it is just incompetently handled:-

1.      Think carefully about the job you saw advertised and/or had described to you initially and see how it compares with what the apparent role is now appearing to be.

2.      Think about whether you still want to work with the company.

3.      Progressively take control of the interview by asking about the company, where this role fits into it, and begin to make suggestions about skills and qualities the company needs in the role and then give examples of what that might be involved in practice – finally giving examples of what you have had to do in that area previously.

If it is a hostile and confrontational style of interview, it may be simply an interview style being practiced to find out how you cope under stress or pressure … which may be fair enough for the position involved.

1.      Keep calm

2.      After it has gone on long enough begin to let a hint of a smile appear on your face which grows steadily.

3.      Eventually the interviewer will have to ask what you are smiling or laughing about and you aim to turn the whole thing round by suggesting that you are interested and/or amused by this approach being taken and ask immediately if they want to really find out what sort of a person you are as at the moment you are simply being defensive.

4.      Then its up to you.