Using your noodle in hiring interviews

I have a distant childhood memory of watching my father hurl spaghetti at the wall to see if the noodles were cooked to al dente perfection. I was enthralled; my neat-freak mother, not so much.

Many employers often take a similar approach to hiring. They haphazardly throw people into positions and watch to see who sticks. Perhaps these employers lack hiring know-how. In some cases, employers simply don’t have the time and resources to do it right.

And to compound the issue, many candidates are willing to ignore warning signs, accept offers and hope for the best. Careless hiring rarely works out well and often takes a financial and emotional toll on workers and organizations alike.

Ideally, an interview should be a two-way conversation in which both parties communicate honestly and openly to determine mutual fit. While job searchers cannot control how employers conduct the business of hiring talent, they can take steps to protect their own best interests. Here are six sure-fire ways to prevent being a limp noodle candidate:

• Do your research. Take time to learn about an organization before submitting a cover letter and resume. This involves more than a cursory glance at the website. Tap into your network as well as published information to explore the company’s mission, products and services, customer base, revenue, growth projections, competition and involvement in the larger community. Ideally you should develop a list of 25 to 30 target employers that match your core values and need your particular skills. Focus your job search on these preferred organizations.
• Ask for an updated job description. Prior to the interview ask for an updated position description. Review it carefully and ask yourself if you would enjoy doing this work. Can you do the job in your sleep or would you be challenged? If an employer is unable to provide a job description, it could be an indication that they are using the “spaghetti-on-the-wall” approach. Discerning job searchers may choose to pursue other opportunities if a company does not provide a clear position outline.
• Explore possibilities. Maintain an eager but exploratory attitude during the interview process. Answer questions honestly and be yourself. Avoid getting into a mindset that is focused strictly on winning offers. Most hiring managers appreciate thoughtful, authentic, open candidates. Make every effort to partner with the hiring manager to explore and determine fit. Don’t appear desperate. Be open to possibilities.
• Look for short- and long-term opportunity. Hiring managers are always looking to fill immediate needs in the organization. They should simultaneously be trying to understand how a position fits with a candidate’s long-term career goals. If the interview conversation seems too short-sighted, take it upon yourself to probe deeper. While you definitely want to convey strong interest in the position for which you are interviewing, it might also appropriate to ask about opportunities for on-going training and the possibility of future advancement. This can send a message to the hiring manager that you are a serious, career-minded professional.
• Ask a few good questions. Asking questions sends a clear message that you are interested in the position and that you are serious about determining if an opportunity is right for you. Candidates that have no questions prepared at the end of an interview are akin to hiring managers without updated job descriptions. There is something missing in both of these situations.
• Listen up. Many candidates get so focused on answering the questions that they fail to listen during the interview. While it is very important that you provide compelling answers, it is equally essential that you listen, build rapport, and allow the interview to become a two-way conversation. There is no possible way to figure out if a position holds promise if you do all the talking.

Job searchers are counseled to be employer-centered. They create targeted resumes and attempt to answer questions based on what they imagine hiring managers want to hear. Many job searchers become so employer-focused that they lose themselves in the hiring equation.

It is equally important to balance your employer research with personal investigation to clarify your own core values, unique skills and career goals. Otherwise, the job search process can feel very one-sided.

Employers definitely have the right to choose the people they hire. But candidates have choices, responsibility, and power, too. No one can toss you like so much spaghetti into a position without your permission.

You are much more likely to wind up in a job that sticks when you remember that the selection process is a two-way street.

Carrie Pinsky also writes the Career Enthusiast blog at www.ncbr.com.

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