Interview, don’t interrogate!

I had the pleasure of attending British Columbia Human Resources Management Association Conference 2011: Complexity Made Simple. It was a beautifully organized event at one of the most picturesque settings in the world: Vancouver Convention Centre.

The highlight of the conference was Douglas Merril, the former Chief Information Officer at Google. Douglas’ great presentation skills and sense of humour made for some great moments at the conference.  He was there to promote his book, Getting Organized in the Google Era: How to Get Stuff out of Your Head, Find It When You Need It, and Get It Done Right. Just Google his name and take a look; you wont’ be disappointed.

Right after Mr. Merril’s presentation, one of my old colleagues came over and said, “hey Armin, you’ve had an opportunity to work for some big companies; what do you do that has made you a ‘hit’ with candidates”. I thought that was a very nice compliment. My response was quick and not rehearsed: “I’ve been a candidate before”. Here’s what I mean:

• Acknowledge every candidate: It’s bad enough that candidates think their resumes / applications go into a “black hole” when they apply online. At minimum, I try to send a generic email to the candidates letting them know that I have received / reviewed their applications. Today’s technology allows for that so why not take advantage!
• Research: If I am serious about a candidate, I’ll do whatever I can to learn a bit more about them so I can carry an intelligent conversation. LinkedIn is great for that. It allows me to find mutual connections and points of interest to discuss, i.e. books.
• Don’t share too much too quick: I’ve gone through interviews where the company representatives were too quick in sharing too much about the organizations’ challenges, be it financial or employees. We all know there’re challenges with every organization but is it right to deflate the excitement and turn off the candidates right off the bat? I try to save the “negatives” for the second / follow-up interviews.
• Interview, don’t interrogate: It’s very easy to doubt candidates; I have seen some recruiters question the integrity of the candidates, at which point the interview becomes an interrogation. I try to remind myself that interviews are not comfortable for the candidate and that it’s OK for them to forget minor details or be nervous enough that their answers are not fluent. Does that mean they are not qualified for the job: No! On the other hand, I have had candidates that try to get away with outright lying, in which case I thank them for their time.
• Close the loop: I let the candidates know when the position is closed (filled, cancelled or otherwise); I’ve found this last piece of communication to be the most appreciated correspondence candidates receive. It allows the candidates to move on.
• Provide feedback if and when possible!

I guess that was my way long-winded way of letting you know that I treat candidates the same way I want to be treated by recruiters.

Thank you for reading; please let me know if you want more information on any of the above bullets.

Armin