“The time you spent preparing for this interview has taught you more than most interviewers understand about the hiring process,” I said.
“Why is that?” Kimberly responded.
“Most managers are too busy with important adult stuff, so they don’t have time to think about hiring. Here is the way most managers get pulled into the interview process.
Hey, Joe, we have a hot candidate for that new supervisor’s position. A couple of people have talked to him and they are really impressed. Say, could spare fifteen minutes, go meet him down in the conference room, and see what you think?
“So, tell me, Kimberly, what chance does Joe have of conducting an effective interview that will give him the proper information to make a hiring decision?”
“Well, I suppose he could just see if he likes the guy.”
“Exactly, with no understanding of the job description, without sufficient thinking about the specific skills required, with no opportunity to think through effective questions, Joe will have no other choice but to make his decision on whether he likes the guy or not. One of the biggest hiring mistakes is making the decision based on gut feeling.”
“So, as a candidate, where does that leave me?” asked Kimberly.
“Armed with what you now know, you have more power than you think.”
Managers responsible for departments should know what the job descriptions and requirements for the positions are. If the company has an appropriate process this would not be a surprise and they should have set up the process for follow up interviews of qualified candidates.
While it’s true managers *should* know job descriptions in their department, many sadly get far removed from the work. They forget what it takes to do the job effectively. More often than not, even if it exists, a tangible process during hiring is seen as a nice-to-have.
In the same way, job descriptions are rarely as a strategic part of the manager’s job. Just a checkbox for HR compliance. Only when the work doesn’t get done or the proverbial hits the fan does a manager realize job descriptions can help keep track of weakpoints in the team structure.