Job interviews are tough. You have to spend a lot of time researching the company, preparing for the questions the interviewers might ask, getting mentally psyched up to present your "best self," and picturing yourself as a success in the job. And when you're at the interview, you have to remember to relax, smile, and be your true self. No pressure, right?
I'm wondering just how effective the traditional interview can be. One of the recruiters I worked with gave me a set of thirty behavioral interview questions (the kind that asks you to recall an example of a time of when you actually did something rather than asking how you would act in a hypothetical situation). I prepped for them all and can recall being asked such a question exactly twice.
How can someone make a decision about you based on a cover letter, resume, and two one-hour interactions that are forced and high stress? I'm surprised that even a team of interviewers can decide who to put in charge of the finances of an organization or the organization itself when the candidates are all people they barely know. Has anyone talked to even one of my ten professional references? Read my blog? Looked at the jewelry on my Etsy site? Visited my LinkedIn profile? I wonder.
I've heard some people compare the interview process to dating, but I don't know too many people who go on two dates to meet the other person's parents in their home and then decide to get married. Would it be too much to ask to spend a day in the organization? Or to go to lunch or coffee and just sit and chat for a while? Where is the relationship-building--the connection--in this process?
1 comment:
Yes, the interview system is flawed. Adding to all the factors you mentioned, the interviewers are generally distracted by their own stuff (Am I asking the right questions? Do my team members think I'm incisive and direct or muddled and somewhat ADD? Should I wear different shoes with this outfit? I wonder what my dog is chewing up at home. And so on.) AND they don't even hear what you're saying, they are so intent on their questions and trying to "read" you. I'm sure there must be a better way to conduct this process. In addition, interviewees can't help but feel somewhat denigrated and at a loss when they complete one of these sessions, or two of them, or whatever number is required, and come away with nothing to show for all the hours of preparation and performance time. Aaaargh.
Post a Comment