Think of your worst job interview experience, and I bet I could match or top it with one of mine from my decades in higher ed. I could regale you with such classic tales as the college president who granted me a two-hour interview for a vice presidential position while she was delirious with the flu or the school that put me through a grueling all-day screening for a faculty position only to announce at the end that they had always intended to hire an internal candidate. Come to think of it, both interviews were at the same college 15 years apart! I am not kidding.
I can easily get carried away recounting woeful memories from my own job-hunting experience, but I think I will just share some of my hard-won lessons.
See, I learned at the knees of the maestros of interviewing ineptitude. From that tortured tutelage, I developed various techniques to ensure others are never subjected to the same. Simply put, I learned from others’ mistakes—the negative paradigm in action—and now you too can benefit from the blasted bounty of my job market torment.
Let’s not worry so much about the nuts and bolts of hiring (though I will cover some of that) and focus more on developing the right mindset—one that goes beyond the fundamental—though overlooked—rule of don’t hire jerks.
Tragically, the typical hiring attitude is “we've got 20 applicants to weed through to find one winner,” which is dead wrong. That elimination mindset is only valid for the most basic initial screening as you determine minimum qualifications.
A healthier mindset is to think of yourself not as rejecting the unwanted but as welcoming future employees. Don’t be a remorseless reaper mowing down everything in your path; be a nurturing cultivator harvesting the cream of the crop. Such a simple reframing, but it establishes a totally different energy.
Here's another crucial mindset shift: sell your workplace to the candidates as much as they are selling themselves to you. In a healthy culture, this should be easy. Treat the candidates as you treat employees, modeling your values and practices and setting expectations before they are even hired. Your goal? to ensure that every candidate you interview, even those who don’t make the cut, walks away thinking, “Man, that seems like a great place to work.” Think of it as starting your onboarding before anyone is actually hired.
To do this, you must communicate with the candidates as robustly and transparently as possible at every point in the interview process. Treat job candidates as you would employees—with respect and candor. If you are a decent leader, doing so should be effortless.
When I hired for universities, the standard was preliminary phone or video interviews followed by select on-campus interviews. For the preliminary interview, I used a script that addressed speed bumps from my own job-hunting past by thoroughly explaining the process and assuring the interviewee that we would not penalize them for technical glitches. I also made it clear that candidates could request to have questions repeated as needed, and I’d have the interviewers introduce themselves before they spoke so that the candidate did not have to keep track.
This thoroughness served three purposes:
1. It let candidates focus without worrying about technical shortcoming, such as a poor connection.
2. It immediately modeled our values of compassion, clarity, and integrity.
3. It gave us insight into the candidates because their reaction was an early clue as to whether we were culturally aligned. Most were receptive, but some bristled at all the “coddling” and expressed impatience. If so, they got their wish: an “expedited” interview.
In-person interviews require similar care. At minimum, candidates should always know the process in advance—who they will be meeting, where, and when. Adopt a “no surprises” rule. Gotcha moments are bullshit.
So, what questions should you ask? I loved prompts that invited stories about their experiences: “Tell me about a time when you…”. There’s a saying attributed to Henry Ford that’s good to keep in mind: “You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.” Ironically, the higher up the ladder, the more people get asked about what they will do rather than their actual past performance, which is one reason so many inept leaders can bullshit their way into positions of power.
My favorite closing with finalists was to ask, “If you were in my shoes and looking to fill this position, what would be your hesitation in hiring you?” Boy do you get some priceless insights from that one.
What questions should you avoid? Well, um, illegal ones about protected statuses, which you can look up on your own. I often got questions about my national origin since my doctorate is from the University of Toronto. What was more galling than the fact that the question is illegal was the fact that my resumé clearly stated at the very top that I am a U.S. citizen. Hadn’t they bothered to read it?
You should also skip irrelevant personal queries that can range from the illegal (“Are you pregnant?”) to the asinine (“What is your favorite color?”). And never ask gotcha questions. You know, the ones designed to corner candidates and make them squirm. If you think gotchas demonstrate how the candidate handles pressure, here’s a newsflash: the only thing they prove is you’re a jerk.
The Fitting Room
Would you buy a pair of shoes that don’t fit just because they look slick? I hope not! The same thing with hiring. Fit is paramount. But “fit” is not code for undo bias and discrimination. As leadership expert John Amaechi notes, we all have unconscious biases, but the ethical test is whether we act on our biases or not. Building an open, inclusive, and welcoming culture will mitigate such behaviors.
Sometimes, though, as with those snazzy shoes, a candidate’s resumé just looks so good that you’re tempted to ignore their poor fit. Try this fitting room test then: Imagine yourself sitting in a meeting five years from now. Would you want to see this candidate sitting across the table from you as a colleague? If the answer is yes, that candidate is good to go. If no or even a vacillating maybe, cut 'em loose.
Viable Is Desirable
Here’s a common practice I banned: candidate ranking. Listing people as choice 1, choice 2, and so on is misleading because you can’t determine the degree of differentiation. In one case, your number 4 candidate could be just a smidgen below your number 1 in quality while, in another, your number 2 may be unacceptable. Numbered scales only give the illusion of precision.
I once had a boss who obsessed over candidate rankings as if anything short of number one was subpar. His mindset meant that second and third choices, even ones who became wonderful employees, were irredeemable. What a morale crusher! His ignorant attitude is why I ditched ranking altogether and ended that nonsense.
Instead of ranking, try this. Rate candidates as yes, no, or maybe without comparison. Simply ask, “Would you hire this person if they were the only candidate?” That exercise quickly focuses the list on truly viable candidates. Then decide who is your favorite and make an offer. If that falls through, just return to your short list without worrying whether you are “settling” since they all are viable.
How You Interview Is You
The bottom line is that your interview process should reflect your values and the quality of your culture. The candidate wants to make a good first impression, and so should you. By all means, assess qualifications rigorously and make sure you only hire someone who is a good fit. But also assure that your process embodies who you are as a leader and the type of culture you foster.
Some hiring gurus push the ruthless use of statistically-driven objective criteria as though humans can be studied like petri dish samples. While such metrics have their place, they are only one data input. Humans and their relationships are more complex than we can capture in a single personality test. So, yes, start with such criteria if you must, but mind the whole person so that you hire the best for the job and the best for your organization.
As with all things leadership, successful hiring will come from first tending to yourself. Know your culture, identify your values, and mind your behavior. Manifest the openness, respect, and authenticity of your culture during the hiring process. Be intentional, be present, and be humane. That is how you attract folks who share those qualities and will help your team thrive.
What is most important to you when you hire? How satisfied are you with your hiring results?
Great leaders know how to build relationships from the outset and get the best people on their teams, and I can help.
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𝙅𝙞𝙢 𝙎𝙖𝙡𝙫𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙞, 𝙋𝙝.𝘿., 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘬𝘦𝘺𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳, 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 30 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘳, 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘛𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘏𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘴. 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘑𝘪𝘮’𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴.
How to Hire as though Your Workplace Depended on It