The WorkPuzzle production has several sets of eyes on it. While it’s been awhile since I last contributed, I am still involved in the editing process. Ben’s last blog, “Recruiting: Questions You Shouldn’t Answer During Interviews” brought me out of my self-imposed blog writing retirement.
While Ben and Dave discuss effective interviewing often and very well, I have found myself a bit fixated on the critical importance of the post-interview follow-up part of the hiring process. We make a good team because you simply cannot have one without the other.
If you get only one thing out of all we have collectively written about recruiting, it should be this: The recruiting process does not end after the interview.
Unfortunately, I have seen and heard managers say (too frequently), “I had a great interview and the candidate will call me after he/she tests.”
That is like fingernails on a chalkboard for someone like me.
A lot of work and attention goes into getting a quality candidate to come in and spend time with you. It just cannot end there. More often than not, you will either lose that potential talent to a competitor (either a direct competitor or to a traditional job in another industry), or they will get disenchanted and drop the process because they are not connected to anything…or more importantly, to anyone.
What struck me in Ben’s last blog was his last paragraph:
“Bottom line: Great hiring managers know that successful interviews happen when the candidate does most of the talking. Getting an individual to express their unique pain and seeing how working as an agent will solve his/her problem is what causes people to engage. Long-winded answers to common questions will wreck your interviews.”
While this statement is very true, long-winded answers also prevent you from authentically knowing the person in front of you on a deeper level. In turn, you then lack the most important ingredient for effective post-interview follow-up—a relationship with the candidate.
When you have knowledge about what is driving individual candidates and understand their potential roadblocks (points of pain), you can proactively work with them in developing their transition strategy.
You can also refer back to the information gleaned in this interview as you continue developing the relationship and keep them on the path to reach the final goal.
Many of you have heard me say, “If you want to hire someone who intends to take the next step in the hiring process, treat them like they are already hired.” Doing this means you’re crossing over from the realm of recruiting to the realm of coaching right after the interview.
To the real estate managers who love to coach agents (and I think most of you are in that group), this is good news.
Lee Gray is the Senior Account Manager at Tidemark Inc. Lee is a guest contributor to
WorkPuzzle.
