You're running late to your interview because of traffic and parking — and you might have overslept. In short, you’re stressed out and the interview hasn’t even started. You walk into the lobby and the admin seems busy. You feel your anxiousness increasing, and as you wait for them to acknowledge you, it’s the perfect moment for you to be grouchy. Don’t be. Here’s why.
Respect is mandatory, but there is more to it. As a recruiting leader, I always set up processes to give my hiring teams a balanced view of every candidate. That means that every person a candidate comes in contact with shares their experience with and impressions of the candidate. Some of the most important feedback comes from our admin team. Yes, that first person you met likely is evaluating you as a potential team member and co-worker.
Poor Attitude, No Hire
One example of this happened at a tech firm during an aggressive hiring phase. A support candidate came in for an on-site interview. If he did well, we’d make an offer. He was a little distant on the phone, but the hiring manager was impressed with his technical knowledge.
I make sure our interview panels are prepped and the process moves promptly. In this case, though, the support team had an unexpected issue, and they were delayed about 20 minutes. But there was a more immediate problem. Our admin in the lobby gave the candidate our nondisclosure agreement (NDA) and told him we were running a little late. He got snippy with her but sat down. Then he started to review the NDA and complained about its complexity and length. The admin called me and I came up, pulled her aside and got her update.
One look at his body language and I could see this was not going to work -- not even close to a team fit. I gave the admin a task so she could step away. I briefly talked to the candidate; he stayed riled up and negative, complaining about the NDA and the delay. I told him I would check on something and come right back. I waited less than two minutes, came back and told him the team’s issue was going to run far longer than expected, apologized and canceled his interview. I talked to the team after and let them know about the disrespectful interaction. We unanimously agreed to cut him loose. I called him personally at the end of the day and got an earful, but better a call like that than a brutal time-wasting interview.
Becoming More Common
This approach to hiring isn't new. For example, Rick Goings, CEO of Tupperware, asks his staff how the candidate treated them. “I talk to the driver who brought them in from the airport, my assistant, and the receptionist who welcomed them. I ask how they were treated. There you learn how this person acts,” Goings told Quartz.
Walked In Cold, Impressed The Team, Got The Job
In the middle of the day a few years back, the office manager of the startup I was working at came up to me with a slight smile on her face. “There’s a woman in the lobby who walked in with her résumé for the sales team role.” The office manager, who had been covering the front desk over lunch, is razor sharp and a terrific judge of character. I asked what she thought, and her answer was immediate: “You should talk to her.” I met the candidate; she was a solid candidate who had done research on us and knew someone in an adjacent building. She literally was “in the neighborhood.”
The candidate was hired quickly and became a solid performer and great team member who I’m still in touch with. But it all started with her initial interaction with the office manager.
Bad Attitude, Bad Hire
At another company, we had a highly regarded leader come in for his first-round interviews. Our admin came into my office with a frown a few minutes after he arrived. She told me he had been very short with her and made it known he was not pleased he had to wait an extra 10 minutes. Also, a finance team member had walked by the lobby and asked the candidate if he needed anything. He was clipped with this person as well.
The executive who'd manage the candidate was displeased by the negative feedback but chalked it up to a bad day. We hired him and quickly realized the bad attitude wasn’t due to a bad day -- it was in his DNA. He quickly wore out his welcome and moved on. Lesson learned the hard way.
Takeaway
So let this be a simple reminder: When on site for an interview, it takes very little effort to be respectful to everyone you come in contact with — even people you think aren’t part of the interview process.
You never know -- they could be.
