The secret to interviewing good candidates

We've been interviewing lots of people at my job lately and I often wonder if we all over think the process.

We look for specific skills. We scour resumes for companies we admire. We ask thoughtful questions and hope for great responses. But are we really using the right measuring sticks?

I'm not so sure. We all spend so much time with our co-workers - more than with our families - and yet we often use impersonal methods for evaluating job candidates.

The truth is that you know pretty quickly if someone is close to right. If the conversation is easy, enthusiastic, and enjoyable and they have a background close to what you need the details can always be taught. I mean, how many skills truly transfer directly from one company to another?

So, my advice is to not think so hard. You know when a candidate is right. And that may mean placing more value on the personal connection than the resume.

Comments

LoveStats said…
I always have interviewees do something in excel. I have interviewed SO MANY "Expert Excel users" who do not know how to do anything other than type numbers in a spreadsheet. Um, that's typing. That's not Excel. It's quite sad.
August 19, 2011 at 8:13 PM
Unknown said…
I just started a new job about 2 months ago and I think it was one of the best interview process's I've ever had. I'm in the IT field and have had many jobs over the last 10 years or so where all the interviewers do is ask technical questions. I would think you would be able to look at my resume, check the places I've worked and know whether or not I have technical skills or not that will match your company. This interview they didn't ask me one single technical question. They asked about my 15 month old son, about which movies I liked, and what I did on the weekends. Right off the bat they made me think "now this is a place I want to work". And guess what, I got the job and hope this is the one that sticks for years to come.
August 24, 2011 at 9:23 AM
John Smith said…
I've been also experiencing interviewing a candidates during my previous job. Just try to be yourself and selling yourself is one of the secrets that makes interviewer to be impress of.
September 2, 2011 at 9:42 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2009 Market Research Predictions, Forrester Style

Forrester's 2009 Market Research Predictions are out and if you're not a subscriber, you can at least read the executive summary here... One prediction of note: "Traditional qualitative research will see erosion as market research online communities (MROCs) and fusions of quantitative and qualitative research from firms such as Invoke Solutions gain steam. In short, everyone will be looking for ways to gain insights to succeed in a troubling market in as cost-effective a manner as possible. This means that newer research modes will gain traction and grab more share of stable or declining market research budgets — even among research buyers who have been more traditional in the past."
Keep reading

How Geo-Targeting is Affecting Customer Loyalty Programs

Image
Originally posted at the CMB Research Blog Recently I have been playing around with Foursquare , the geo-targeting based social media application that allows me to "check in" at certain locations, share my "check in" with friends via Twitter and Facebook, and earn "badges" based on how much I use it. I'll be honest, as a consumer I don't fully get it (yet). But as a marketer in 2010 I want to understand where things are going and be able to speak to them as they relate to our clients. And with this week's eMarketer report that 53% of mobile app users are willing to share their locations, there is no question that there is a huge opportunity for brands to utilize this technology. Certainly geo-targeting is not for everyone, but some major brands are going beyond mobile ads and jumping in to help increase the impact of their loyalty programs and reward their best customers in real-time. And as many companies seek to evolve their loyalty progr...
Keep reading

Is market research recession proof?

Bob Skolnick , North American CEO of Synovate seems to think so in this month's Marketing News... This heightened need to understand competitors and consumers may well prove a boon to the market research industry, despite the struggles of the economy at large. Bob Skolnick , North American CEO of Chicago-based market research firm Synovate , predicts "was abobe average growth" in the overall demand for data. Because of the demand for data, Skolnick notes, Synovate has been under greater pressure to yield applicable results. "Client companies need to see smart research done to make sure they are satisfying their best customers and developing new business where they can," he says. "The market research business, while not recession-proof, is much less susceptible to budgets being cut."
Keep reading