Most interviews are relatively respectful. After all, a company wants to access your fit for a particular role. But, once in a while, you may encounter a company that is less than respectful of you.
On a few occasions, I’ve observed interviews that have been a little surprising. In each example, the role was a high-level executive position, leading a team of folks who are relatively technical in nature.
Typically, the candidate goes through a phone screen with the recruiter. Then, the recruiter may organize an interview with the hiring manager. In this type of situation, the hiring manager is generally less familiar with the technical subject that the candidate specializes in. So, the interview is more of a meet and greet. It’s an opportunity to see if the two people get along, and would work well together. It’s also an opportunity to ask the candidate about their leadership skills. It’s a high-level conversation focused on fit. If this conversation goes well, the candidate may be put through a series of additional interviews, including a technical interview, to assess their technical knowledge.
This is the normal flow of an interview process. Typically, if the company is going to alter this process, they will let the candidate know. But, unfortunately, every once in a while, a company may alter the process and surprise the candidate.
One of the worst scenarios is this. During the hiring manager interview, it’s not just the hiring manager in the room. They bring a technical subject matter expert with them. This is likely because the hiring manager isn’t fully comfortable to assess the quality of the candidate. But, the company doesn’t warn the candidate in advance. And, the subject matter expert ends up leading the interview. It transitions from a business interview to a sparring match.
In order to do their job, the subject matter expert will attempt to quiz the candidate and will try to stump them. The hiring manager is then able to sit back and enjoy the show. What they seem to miss is how counterproductive this exercise really is.
When you catch someone off guard with a technical interview they were not expecting, they don’t have the opportunity to properly prepare. It’s also easy to make someone look dumb, if that’s what you’re after. What interviews should be assessing is the ability of the candidate to do the job, not to recite memorized information from years past.
Beyond missing the opportunity to assess the candidate properly, the company also puts themselves in an awful position. The candidate is not a product on a store shelf. They are a human being. And, they will remember being treated in an unprofessional and unkind way. Candidates also have choices, and their experience will inform those choices. The company and the hiring manager may be surprised to learn when a candidate withdraws themselves from consideration for this little game of stump the chump.
I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search. If I can be of assistance to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here.
Happy hunting!
Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach
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