Employers and hiring managers can tell you hundreds of candidate-interview situations where the interviewee was visibly shaking. Unfortunately it’s just part of the process, they’ll say. And it is. There is valuable insight to be gained from the one-on-one sit downs, but it’s a matter of knowing what to look for.
I read an article covering nervous job candidates and was intrigued by the discussion of extroverts, introverts and ambiverts (a combination of the two) in interview situations. More importantly, though, the notion of gauging authenticity came to mind. At that point in the interview process, that’s what you should aim to discover.
You have combed through stacks of resumes, hopefully used innovative hiring methods to find suitable potentials and are ready to spend some time with them.
The interesting part is seeing the person behind the resume. You’re never quite sure what you will get, but the interview process allows you to gauge how they will act in team-based situations. The article I mentioned explained an inverse relationship between extroverts and produced work, but I don’t necessarily find that to be true. Rather, it is important to see beyond presentation and intuit the person behind the resume. This is where a good hiring manager shines. They can see beyond the veneer of the well-prepared, rehearsed potentials, and also see behind the sweating, nervous candidate’s shakiness.
I think of a potential hire’s authenticity as their ability to be what they say they are on paper. One tip I suggest is to find something on their resume (a skill, a job duty) that does require an intimate knowledge and have them explain how it will benefit your company. This allows you to see if they do indeed possess that knowledge.
Another method, which sounds all-too-easy, is to just talk business with the potential. Watch for industry terms, names of influencers, references and the like. This will give you a good estimate of what they know about your particular field. This method cracks through the fog of extroversion and introversion—no matter the personality type, they should know their particulars.
With all this said, the hiring manager should be deft enough to see what kind of employee the candidate would be. You’re putting together a team so, no matter what, there should be a balance of personality types. What matters, though, is a team built of knowledgeable, authentic personalities.
Published by Conselium Executive Search, the global leader in compliance search.
