Have you ever wondered what the interviewers are thinking?

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

Dear Readers,

Thank you for coming here!

If you have attended job interviews before, have you ever wondered what people who sit on the opposite side of the table or camera are thinking, while you show off your experiences and smart responses?

I conducted 15 interviews in the past 4 working days.

I have conducted interviews before, but never of this scale or intensity. 

And I have something to share with you.

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1.It is freaking hard-work

Interviewing candidates and trying to pick the right one is hard work.

First of all, you have to write the JDs and fix the title, grade, pay range…

Then, you have to go through several dozens of resumes to pick the candidates for interviews.

Then, you have to prepare the questions for the interviews so that you give the candidates opportunities to showcase their qualities and fit.

Then, you have to make yourself available, which could mean a lot of rescheduling and over time.

During the interviews, you have to explain the role and your expectations to the candidates, 15 times of the same conversation.

You have to ask candidates questions and listen to their responses and observe their behaviors. 

Then you have to tailor the subsequent questions and try to have a conversation.

Then you ask them whether they have any questions and answer them.

All the while, you are trying to have a good read on his/her fit, and form your opinion and fill in the evaluation form.

Meanwhile, you try to make the interview a good experience for the candidates, so that they do not feel frustrated or a waste of time afterwards.

After the interview, you have to compare notes with other interviewers and see whether you miss any important points and seek confirmation on points you are unsure about.

If there are written cases, you have to prepare, distribute and grade them…

Of course, HR will always come with admin procedures you have to follow.

…

It is freaking hard work.

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2.It is big responsibility

When you interview the candidates, you have the power to grant or deny them the opportunity.

Of course, you have to try your best to be fair to each candidate, no matter how impossible it is and how cracked your brain is already.

And sometimes, you really struggle between the best fit and the one you really want to help.

Inevitably, you will encounter candidates who are innocent and in the position of needing help. 

You can be sure that he/she will be grateful for the opportunity and he/she will try his best to do well.

At the same time, you know well that another candidate is more capable.

On paper it is easy. You pick the one who you believe will be the best for the company.

In reality, it is less straightforward. 

How can you know that the commitment would not bridge the gap of skills and eventually perform better?

How can you measure the value of a grateful employee?

This usually leads to heated debate among the interviewers.

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3.They really want you to succeed 

Interviewers go through all the hard work and struggles to select the right candidate for the position.

So they really want you to succeed. That means their job is done.

So do yourself a favor and come ready to show your best qualities for this job.

And sometimes, just showing your commitment is enough.

After the first two days, we were so frustrated as we could not see any good candidate.

One of the directors said:

• If any of the internal candidates went to the database (they all have access to) and came with a simple analysis telling me this was how I saw your area, the job would be his.
• If any of the external candidates told me I had been doing nothing but reading about your company and role and this was what I found out so far, the job would be his.

Unfortunately, no one did.

And the process had to go on.

I really feel bad for the three internal candidates. The role is a promotion for them and they could just grab it with some initiative on their end.

Therefore, prepare, show your commitment and help the interviewers select you and end the process.

Photo by Evan Dennis on Unsplash

In the end, maybe we can conclude with a random question.

What do you think is the job that is very easy to get but very hard to perform and most people love the interviews?

Leave your comment below :)

Till next time!