We had a candidate that interviewed at a client for a technical position. This was a high-level role where the technical skills were imperative. After the interview we had a discussion to mainly get feedback on how they experienced the interview. During our discussion I quickly noticed a pattern how this individual was drawing several judgments and opinions about what the client needed (that seemed mis-aligned with what I understood). This person had a great deal of experience in this industry, bringing a breadth of knowledge across different functional areas.
As I noticed this pattern I started asking questions to evaluate their understanding on knowing the “why” behind the client’s need for the wide variety of technical skills, also probing about what was behind the “why” with the growth curve that the client was experiencing. It was clear after a couple of questions that this individual was showing up to the interview having already formed opinions or judgements behind the “why’s” and not taking the time to understand where the pain points existed with this client.
One thing I’ve realized working in the search business is how important it is to understand and empathize first, then with this new awareness in mind to form opinions or/and answers to the situation. I think that if the candidate above would have exercised this posture of understanding then they would have been in a better position to explain how they “get it”, by specifically connecting on both a technical and personal level. The situation above was unfortunate because this candidate would have most likely landed a job offer if they had only taken the time to understand what was behind the clients’ needs.
My recommendation is to fight the urge to be clouded because of your past experiences, forming pre-interview opinions and/or judgements about a potential job opportunity. Go instead to interview with an open mind and a posture of understanding. I think you’ll be surprised at what you experience and find it easier to connect with the interviewees. Next time you go on an interview, please listen and ask questions to gain a deeper understanding and then generate ideas for “getting it”.
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