Yet Many Applicants Do Not Understand This Simple Concept

Business.

The interviewer's perception or who gets hired? - i recently interviewed on radio a high tech human resources guru from silicon valley. At one of the commercial breaks he mentioned he had done recruiting at a small high tech company that had adopted' grunge' as its corporate identity. During one segment of the show we had been talking about appropriate dress for a high tech job position.

He had interviewees that had torn clothing, matted hair and no shoes. - a suit and tie were definitely not appropriate. It was a strange set of interviews, but for better, he confided or worse the company had set the standard. Later in the show we discussed in more detail what sorts of things were appropriate. Still, the question of an interviewer' s perception is an interesting one so I began to jot down a few notes. Having been involved in thousands of interviews I thought I had seen it all: alcohol, free use of, facial tattoos obscenities, etc. The perceptual experts tell us we have 6 seconds to make a first impression.

Personal hygiene, with the possible exception of some high tech grungers, strikes me first. - that is the visual side of perception. If hair is dirty, clothes unkempt and shoes soiled then the perception, is that the, mine included individual does not take care of himself or herself. What does it say about an interviewee if they do not care about personal appearance? If they can' t take care of themselves when going to an interview - - what will they do when hired? Beyond the physical, I think we get a more personal picture in the first two minutes of an interview. These initial moments are a good indicator of an individual' s behavior when dealing with the unknown and determining their level of people skills.

These are often awkward moments' hi, how are you, good to see, thanks for coming you' , etc. - this initial chit - chat also sets the stage for the rest of the interview. If I get a weak touch, or vertical yanking, strongman grip then I will perceive the individual tends to the extreme. In the United States, especially in a, we shake hands business context. I may be wrong, but for the applicant the interviewer' s perception is reality. Most qualified applicants can usually give a synopsis in a minute or two.

I usually begin by asking the applicant to give me a thumbnail sketch of their skills and abilities. - this is not a difficult question but it does require a variety of skills to pull it off. Obviously this may be true with some applicants and not with others. If the applicant cannot state what they can do then the implication is they cannot do anything. But perception is perception. Amazingly, some answer they do not know.

Gradually I get around to what they are looking for. - if they appear truthful, a' don' t know' response can be seen as being honest. Here reality creates the perception and it' s a negative. Most of the time, it implies the applicant has no ambition or has not thought very much. What I normally want to hear is they are looking for an opportunity and challenge. This is an indicator of ambition, work ethic, drive, etc. This means that at some point the applicant will have' smoke coming out of their smokestack' .

If they are looking for security and stability and no smoke I often perceive they are in it just for the paycheck. - near the end of the interview i usually ask them if they have any questions about the company. I let the applicant do the talking and I just ask a series of questions. Amazingly again, many applicants say no, even when they know virtually nothing about their potential future employer! Going into a long series of intricate questions is just as bad as not having any questions at all. What I perceive is a good response is one or two insightful questions.

There are several areas that send flags up at different points in the interview. - if they speak poorly about their past employers then i know they would probably do the same with my company. If they jump right on salary and benefits I know they are more interested in what the company can do for them then what they can do for the company. If they tell me secrets or confidential information about their past employers, I know they will do the same to me. I am used to applicants being nervous but experienced interviewers can get applicants to relax. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. The sole purpose of the interview is to find out if the applicant will be appropriate for the company.

Yet many applicants do not understand this simple concept. - this seems too obvious! We have a very short period of time to determine if the applicant is appropriate to become' one of our family' . Those of us that conduct interviews are people too. And why would we ever hire an obvious problem? We have our perceptions: the good, bad and ugly. The difference is we decide who gets hired.