Just after I graduated with my master’s degree, I had the good fortune to get an interview with Hewlett Packard. Prior to the interview, I did my homework. I researched the company. I made a list of all the questions I thought he might ask. Then I came up with answers and rehearsed them. Sound familiar?
When I arrived on site, I was met by Norm, the human resources director. We walked into the facility, but rather than heading to his office or a conference room, he said, “Let me show you around.” As we walked around this enormous facility, he explained what people were doing and the different business functions. He also asked me some questions. While a couple were ones I had prepared for, most were more problem-solving oriented. He wanted to know how I might approach a certain situation. What did I think about a particular training technique? I was caught totally off guard.
After about 20 minutes, it was obvious to both of us that I was not going to get past this round of interviews. As we returned to the front entrance, he turned and said, “I just don’t see a match here. But thanks for coming in.” Norm was kind, but also direct. This outcome hit me hard initially. But I learned three important take-aways from this short interview.
First, walking changes everything. Most interviews are conducted in an office or across the table in a conference room. Applicants prepare for this kind of setting and are able to focus on the answers they have rehearsed. Interviewing by walking around, as I have come to call it, throws them off balance. They have to pay attention to their surroundings. They have to listen and process what you’re saying about the environment. As an interviewer, you can ask them about things specifically related to what’s going on around them. All that rehearsal the applicant did goes out the window and you get the real them rather than prepared responses.
Second, you get to observe them in the environment. You can introduce them to co-workers and see how they interact. You can watch how they walk. What kind of energy do they display? How well do they adapt when placed in unexpected circumstances? You can assess if they feel comfortable with their surroundings. You can see if they can speak intelligently and navigate their way through the facility. In other words, you will get a bit of a feel for how they will interact with the environment and coworkers day-to-day.
Third, you can be forthright with applicants and save both of you time. We live in a society that despises discomfort and confrontation. But you’re not doing applicants any favors by leading them on if they are not a fit. Saying something like, “We’ll get back to you,” when you know they won’t make the cut, is simply avoiding the momentary discomfort you and they might feel if you end it there.
By the way, saying, “I don’t see a match,” is a diplomatic way letting them know without listing specific concerns they might try to contest. If they do say something like, “What did I do wrong?” say, “You didn’t do anything wrong. We look at a variety of qualities and characteristics and I just don’t see a match in this case.” That will end it 99% of the time.
Interviewing by walking around has worked for me, as an employer, for years. How can you adapt this approach to improve your screening of applicants?