This is the fourth in our series, Six Sins in the Hiring Interview.
- Missing important (and obvious) clues during the interview
- Head trash, the distraction of the stereotype in the back of your head
- The fatal decision in the first three minutes of the interview
- Losing control, losing your head, losing your wallet
- Asking the wrong (stupid) interview questions
- Getting beat in the paint
This series is a prelude to our Hiring Talent Summer Camp.
Losing Control in the Interview
I realize I haven’t heard a word the candidate has said for the past four minutes. Then I realized the candidate has been talking non-stop for the past four minutes.
“Can you tell me more about the company?” the candidate asks.
“Great company,” I reply and recite a brief thumbnail about the enterprise.
“Are there benefits?”
“Who would be my manager?”
“Would I have my own cubicle?”
“What kind of computer do I get?”
“Do we have paid holidays?”
“How long before I can take vacation?”
“What’s the work like?”
“Is there a dress code?”
I suddenly realize 45 minutes has passed, I know nothing about this candidate and I have two more waiting in the lobby. I lost control of the interview.
Happens all the time, often with a full complimentary tour of the building. Why do we lose control of the interview?
Who controls the conversation?
- the person answering the questions?
- the person asking the questions?
On the surface, it appears the person doing most of the talking must be in control, when, in fact, it is the person asking the questions. Why does the interviewer lose control? Most interviewers walk in the room with a written list of 4-5 questions. The more time the candidate fills, the fewer questions required.
“I had five prepared questions, but I only had to ask the first two, the candidate was really responsive, a good communicator. I kind of liked him.” Who was in control of the interview?
Here is the good news. If you suddenly realize you have lost control, you can immediately regain it by asking your next question. You do have a next question, don’t you. From your list of 60 prepared questions. The person asking the questions controls the interview.
Our Hiring Talent Summer Camp begins next Monday, June 18, 2012. It’s online, and you will have several chances to make that first impression.