I saw an article on Fortune with a headline "What Everyone Gets Wrong About Interviewing." Instead of finding a refreshing take on a painfully outdated model, I read more of the same old trite of "sell me this pen."
The author wrote how one individual walked out of the interview when asked this question. I'd be that person. You see, the thing everyone actually gets wrong about interviews is this: an interview is marketing.
There is an enormous talent-gap beginning to occur. The best and the brightest have more choices than ever and chances are? You aren't Google.
What I mean by that is that most companies that exist today aren't "sexy." They don't have the flashy resume building status that Google does. Look, there is no shame in working at a non-sexy company. That being said...you can't treat candidates like you are Google. The interview is a marketing opportunity to recruit the best and brightest.
We have to differentiate ourselves in an interview by being different! Don't ask the usual questions like "tell me your greatest weakness" and expect the candidate to seriously consider you as a place that is going to challenge them to be better. If your interview is bland, boring and routine...the candidate is going to believe the company is bland, boring and routine. And you're not going to recruit and retain A-players with bland and boring.
So be different. Sell the company. Sell the position. Have a conversation. You'll attract different (and better) candidates with this approach.
Managers today need to put aside their ego and false-belief that they have the power to give this person a job. There are too many opportunities out there for the best candidates. Managers are judged on the performance of their team so you should want the best and the brightest. You don't recruit the next Jordan to your team by saying "prove to me you can make this jump shot." You recruit them by telling them what your team is working on, the strengths of the team, the weaknesses and how you're going to make the candidate even better.
Managers need to recognize that the interview is a two-way street where candidates are interviewing them as well. Candidates want to know the managers' approach, they want to know the challenges and they want to understand the opportunities.
Using the outdated methods in the Fortune article will continue to produce mundane results. You'll recruit candidates who are only looking for "a job" in the near-term and as soon as something better comes along, they will jump ship. Treating candidates like valuable resources, recruiting them into your vision and the company's mission will bring you higher quality skill-sets and improve long-term retention.
So, can we finally kill the "sell me this pen" question?
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