Why is a Good Interview Like A Christmas Carol?
When we work with clients to make their interview process more effective, they often laugh when we start by asking “have you ever heard interviewing is like Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol?”
When you first look at a resume and start talking with a candidate, you want to get to know their Ghost of Christmas Past - where and what did they study? Where have they worked? Why? And they generally want the same of you - when was the company founded? Why? What’s the company’s reputation? What products and services are you traditionally known for?
Assuming you both like what you hear, the Ghost of Christmas Present isn’t far behind. Where is the candidate working today? Why are they looking for a job now? What kind of role are they looking for? And candidates will be interested in similar questions of you, primarily why are you hiring right now?
Last, interview questions about the Ghost of Christmas Future are where the magic happens. My first job out of school was selling copiers, and one of the ways they taught us to see how well a sales meeting was going was to ask “where would the new copier go?” Because if the meeting was going poorly, the person would say “who said anything about a new copier?” But if it was going well, your buyer would lean back and say something like “well the old copier was over there, but based on what we’ve been discussing the new copier might go over there because…”
Point being - that person is seeing the copier, they’re actively thinking about how it could be a part of their life in the future. And when you reach the point of the interview process where you’re asking Ghost of Christmas Future questions - “…if you started next week we would have you working on this, does that sound good?” or “…if you joined our team, you’d be responsible for this, does that have you excited?” - you’re typically only doing so because you’ve revealed a quality candidate who’s excited about your opportunity.
After almost 20 years of executive recruiting, Gochkeys has made hundreds of placements across the medical device, aerospace, filtration, signal & measurement, plastics, and custom & contract manufacturing industries. We’ve placed entry-level engineers and salespeople all the way up through global executives, and our experience has taught us regardless the role or industry the recruiting process breaks down into these same 3 phases of conversation.
If you’re hungry for more Ghost of Christmas Future questions with your top candidates but finding yourself frustrated your interviews aren’t getting there, adjusting your Ghost of Christmas Past & Present messaging could be the solution. And if you’re looking for more great candidates to have those conversations with, Gochkeys specializes in defining and refining your brand’s best custom presentation to the industry’s best. Give us a call today!
