Multiple interviews are a career must. Anything less is career suicide

Multiple interviews mean you get more looks at your co-workers

Multiple Interviews are the norm

Multiple interviews are the norm when interviewing with a company that values its culture. I recently read an MSNBC.com article about a candidate who went through not just multiple interviews, but ten interviews. The candidate didn’t get the job.  According to the article, the experience was not a good one.  I was not surprised by the 200+ comments, which made me feel that the candidate was short-changed because she had invested a significant amount of time, emotion, and money into the process.  What did surprise me was that this was an HR candidate.

Here’s the rub.  I feel that if anyone understands what is going on here, it should be someone in HR.

Not appreciated

1. Number of interviews:  10
2. “Candidate experience”: They feel they should have made a hiring decision much earlier.
3. Financial Investment: Buying two new suits, a new pair of shoes, $40 in stationery and postage, two paid time off days, and 200.00 in taxi fare.

The same candidate had a similar experience with a sales coaching job, and the article cites yet another candidate who had a similar experience.

The article ends with the question, “Is this the new norm?”

I feel for this candidate

We have all been through multiple interviews and invested sweat, money, and time only to be declined.  I get that.

What irked me about this article was that all three mentioned candidates came from HR/Training and Development. Of all the professions out there, HR should understand this and not question it.

So let me try to break this down HRNasty style.

Thing 1: Is it just me, or is there something wrong with this picture?  An HR person is TAKING PAID TIME OFF to look for another job, complaining about it, and then getting their name PUBLISHED on the topic.  Maybe I misread this, but that is some f****d up s**t.  Who gives their name to a national publication when they are employed AND looking for a job?

Now that I have that out of my system

Yes, the candidate’s experience was inconsiderate, but as HR professionals, we are well aware that this happens regularly. We should expect it, be prepared for it, and have a defense against it.

1. Ten interviews: For the record, the company I work with conducts ten interviews before making a hiring decision, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  In a candidate’s first meeting, we explain that they should expect multiple interviews, and, just as importantly, why. We don’t do this because of the economy or because we can’t make up our minds.  Our company has hired folks with this mentality for the past 10 years.   We do not drag this out over months, but rather a week, maybe two at most.  We also try to have more than one person interview the candidate at a time.  Ten people interviewing a candidate may only conduct four interviews and two visits, possibly three at most.

Companies need to set expectations

I want the candidates to know EXACTLY what they are getting into and with whom they will be working.  I will coach the candidate to ask the team questions about working conditions, management style, company culture, and other relevant aspects.  They should hear a consistent message from the entire team, and no, we don’t coach the folks conducting interviews on how to answer these questions.  We would only be hurting ourselves in the long run if we did.  We believe this helps streamline the onboarding process and better aligns with the company, team, and new hires’ expectations.

Many of the comments on this article stated that folks wouldn’t want to work with a company that conducted ten interviews.

I don’t want to work with a company that conducts only one or two interviews before making a hiring decision. 

If I only speak with the hiring manager and the VP, I have no real idea what’s happening. I’m not familiar with the players or their personalities on the team. In my opinion, hiring after only 1-2 interviews contributes to low job satisfaction and high turnover.

Corporate Translation

I will request multiple interviews to ensure team buy-in.  No team wants HR to show up unexpectedly on a Monday morning with the announcement, “Here’s Johnny, your new hire, show him the ropes,” I would say hog and job or eat and run, but this is more like. . .  .  Johnny doesn’t want that.  I want the team to look forward to working with Johnny. The way to achieve this is for the team to get to know him, like him, want to work with him, and look forward to the opportunity through the interview process.

Street Translation

No one wants to be asked for their hand in marriage after just one or two dates. (I am not uber-rich or remotely good-looking. I wear a mask for a reason. We all want multiple dates before we commit.  People in any relationship want to know what they are getting into before saying “yes.”   No one wants to attend their first family dinner with the future in-laws and hear, “Hey, Mom and Dad, we just eloped; meet Mrs. Nasty.”

2.  Candidate Experience:  Make hiring decisions early

An HR manager going through the interview process should be savvy enough to figure out the interview expectations.   There are questions you can ask and moves you can make to control and accelerate the interview process. An HR manager should get this.

You can and should ask about the interview process.  “Can you tell me about the interview process?” Vs. “How long will this interview process take?” is probably a better approach.  Any Biz Dev veteran will ask about a potential RFP process.

Letting the company you are interviewing with know that you are also talking with other companies will put subtle pressure on your recruiter to keep the process moving.  They don’t want to lose you at the last minute to another company and then have to start all over.

3:  Financial investment:

“I bought two new suits and a new pair of shoes”. . .  Give me a break.  If you’re looking for a new job, you’ll need these clothes.  Don’t look at it like you HAD to buy these outfits. This is an investment in your career.  The way the article is written, it sounds like they are talking about my wife, who is just looking for an excuse to buy another pair of shoes.   “I HAD to buy these!  I had an interview, I can’t wear the same pair of shoes to these interviews!”  “Ninja Please!”  No, I won’t go as far as OchoCinco with a “Child Please”. 

If you wear a short skirt, with black nylons and stiletto heels, I WILL notice your Jimmy Choos.  If you are wearing your Nike running shoes with a suit in the financial district, fitting in your daily exercise with a power walk at lunch, I can’t help but notice your shoes.  Other than that. . .  don’t flatter yourself.  I highly doubt that any company would decline you because you didn’t have a new pair of shoes.  In my house, I hear “But they were on sale” every weekend.  “I have an interview” ??? Ridonkulous.

Careers are a business

Businesses invest money to make money. Not all bets will pay off.  Some deals are going to close, and some are going to the 1-yard line and fall flat.  This may sound cold, but of all the folks who SHOULD understand this, HR is at the top of the list.  Not all of your customers are going to play fair.

Don’t be pushy, it’s not what you say. It’s how you say it

The best candidates won’t let the interview loop treat them as if they are being processed and at the mercy of the system.  Great candidates keep a casual dialogue with the recruiter, just like you would with any new acquaintance.   It’s not only OK to set expectations about next meetings or contacts, but if you aren’t doing this, then I can only assume you won’t close internal or external customers if hired.  Just don’t be too pushy about it.

If you find yourself reaching the same stage of the interview loop and being declined at a consistent point, reevaluate what you could be doing differently at this particular stage of the interview process.

See you at the after party,

HRNasty

nasty: an unreal maneuver of incredible technique, something that is ridiculously good, tricky, and manipulative but with a result that can’t help but be admired, a phrase used to describe someone good at something. “He has a nasty forkball”.

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