There will be more than a few awkward and unsuccessful interviews during a lengthy career
There are few more anxiety-inducing and cringeworthy sensations than leaning on a wet bathroom counter right before an important job interview. There are worse things in life for sure, but the embarrassment of wet pants while wearing my best suit remains with me today. Although, to be honest, I should have seen this coming, earlier my new silk tie fell into the sink so it was fairly obvious how that day was going to unfold.
I’ve found throughout my career that this is the key – figuring out how to make interview subjects comfortable. Even though I work in Human Resources, I am not able to ace interviews as a candidate. I’ve never felt comfortable in a formal interview and this has been reflected numerous times in my 20-year career, often with embarrassing results.
In one interrogation, umm, I mean interview, a questioner was taking notes so enthusiastically, her notepad flew across the table and landed on my lap. My joke about my elite athletic skills in catching balls – and flying notepads – was met with a bored blank stare. Later, I received feedback from that interview that I was throwing a bunch of “junk” at the wall hoping something would stick.
Moving away from boring clichéd questions that candidates have researched and rehearsed to death has worked for me. A two-sided engaging discussion means that I too can comfortably ask about the organization, culture, work and other things that interest me.
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