If interviewers more readily acknowledged the challenges as well as the opportunities of their job offerings and applicants were more candid about their strengths and weaknesses, individuals would be better matched to what they do. Everyone involved would benefit from a more efficient, productive, and stable work force.
“I thought I was making a great hiring choice when I hired Ms. Take”, said the human resources manager of a mid-sized manufacturer. “We spoke with her twice, and both times she impressed us with her eagerness, drive, and desire to succeed. I personally checked her references and didn’t hear anything that gave me concern. At first everything seemed fine. Her supervisors liked her energy and enthusiasm. There were some red flags, although at the time I didn’t realize them as such. Ms. Take was out a lot. She always had valid reasons, but her absenteeism put a strain on her co-workers.”
“My name’s Ms. Take and I’ve done it again. I’ve joined a company that I thought I’d love. The people who interviewed me were enthusiastic about their organization and told me how I could really help them succeed. They described the job, which sounded exciting and challenging, and they assured me I’d get help if I needed it. “Don’t worry about anything”, they said. Well, I’m plenty worried and for good reason. If I don’t quit soon I’m sure they’re going to fire me.”
“Despite the efforts of one of our best trainers, Ms. Take never seemed to catch hold of the job. At first we gave her the benefit of the doubt, after all, she had been sick and out of work for several days. She was so bright and had such a positive personality that I think we overlooked errors that we might not have overlooked in someone less enthusiastic. Over the next few months, the problems grew to the point that we had to address them. By that time we all realized we’d have to let Ms. Take go.”
“I don’t know if they’ve told you what really went wrong. They hired me to be on a helpdesk that answers technology questions and concerns from our internal customers. When they interviewed me, I told them I had customer service experience but never worked with computer systems beyond what my job required. They assured me, several times, that I would get the training I needed and that I was smart enough to catch on quickly. I was lost from day one. The only training I got was from a youngster who spoke faster than I could understand and who got impatient when I asked questions. So I stopped asking. From that point on, it was just a matter of time before everyone knew I didn’t know what I was doing.”
“What could I have done differently when I interviewed with them?”
“What could we have done differently when we interviewed her?”
Interviewers: if your job descriptions are outdated and there have been changes in department leadership, systems, processes or procedures, be sure to get updated from sources who directly interface with the new hire regarding skill requirements and strength preferences essential for job success.
When interviewing applicants about the problems they’ve had on the job, ask probing questions and look for patterns in their perspectives and the actions they’ve taken. Ask what they could have done differently, what they learned from the experience. Focus on skill sets and the transferability of what they’ve done to what you need doing. Go easy on “selling” the job to reluctant buyers. Their concerns are likely to mushroom once on the job. And when training is part of the bargain, be sure your trainers are “user-friendly”. One style doesn’t fit all.
Interviewees: It takes substance as well as style to succeed in a career. If you are aware of your strengths and weakness from consistent and constructive feedback you can match yourself to the right job in the right place. Sell yourself, enthusiastically, when everything you hear matches all that you know about yourself. When in doubt, explore your concerns by asking direct questions. If satisfied, move forward, if you’re in over your head, take yourself out of the pool.
