Over the past few weeks I had had some interesting
conversations with employers who told me of poor experiences with Executive Recruiters. One situation was with a current client and
the other a long-time friend and networking contact who I have not worked
for. In the former case the hiring
manager (no longer with the client) hired a candidate who did not rise to my “top
three.” He lasted less than a year and I
replaced him pursuant to my agreement.
In fact, the replacement candidate was among the first group of
candidates I presented and an all around more suitable hire. The original hiring manager was not a part of
the decision process for the replacement and this candidate is working out just
fine.
In the second conversation I was able to ask my
friend a few questions about the company’s selection process. They have no Human Resources Department so
the traditional HR functions are spread between the other Department Heads, if
at all. They do not have job descriptions so it was
not clear as to how the hiring managers made their selections. No one has had any formal interviewing skills
training. They do meet as a group to de-brief
and arrive at a consensus for each hire.
This is a major positive which can serve as a base to build a better
selection process if they chose to do so.
Most managers I have talked with over the years have
not had any formal training in recruiting and selection. While working for one of my Fortune 500
employers prior to entering the Executive Search field I did receive formal
training which I have found to be invaluable.
The biggest problem with the untrained interviewer is that they talk too
much. If the ideal interview is 20%
interviewer talking and 80% interviewee talking, they operate in reverse. Then
at the end of the interview they will say that they did not learn anything
about the candidate. Not surprising if
they are doing most of the talking. So,
the question is; how do you ace an interview with an untrained
interviewer? The answer, of course, is
to help him interview you.
Fundamentally, the candidate must gain some control
over the interview to ensure a favorable result. To help accomplish this I recommend that my
candidates prepare a one page, key accomplishments hand-out which they can
present to the interviewer at the beginning of the discussion. This is a bullet point list of up to ten
prioritized accomplishments, in big bold type, that best demonstrates your
ability to perform the job in question. Of
course the interviewer has your resume, but this hand-out can become the agenda
for the discussion, guiding his questions.
Trust me, they will appreciate the additional information and will be
impressed by your preparation for the interview.
In subsequent interviews I have found that a
hand-out which summarizes your understanding of the employer’s need is very
useful to close the deal. Personally, I
find the following format to be very powerful:
1. Yesterday:
·
2. Today:
·
3. Tomorrow:
·
This is a great way to demonstrate that you understand
where the company has been; where they are today; and where they want to
go. If you are a little off base the
interviewer will point that out and give you something more to talk about. If you are right on target, which you should
be if you have been listening and doing your homework, you will totally impress
the interviewer with you grasp of their needs.
The assumption will be that if you understand their situation, you will be
effective in the job.
So, if you want to do well with trained or untrained
interviewers, help them interview you by the use of visual aids to focus the
conversation.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.
Jim Weber, President
New Century Dynamics
Executive Search
www.newcenturydynamics.com
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