I always thought the recruiting & interviewing processes are disingenuous and stupid. People are inherently selfish and self-motivated. No one tells the whole truth during a job interview, there’s deception at multiple levels, and — call me cynical — it’s all about the $coin$ at the end of the day.
You need a sales genius? Whoa, go figure, I’m a sales genius. You want a team player? Hell, I’m a team player. You’re looking for a candidate who is committed to a brand? I’m the Queen of Commitment. I have a boatload of examples — none of them true — as to why I’m awesome. Go ahead and call my references, too. I dare you. Not a single one of them will rat me out for being a lazy bum. They know I’m litigious. Oh, by the way, I want a bonus.
Recruiting & interviewing methodologies are based on fuzzy science. There is no proven correlation between behavior-based interviewing and success in the workforce, but we play the game as HR pros and ask our comprehensive questions because we don’t have a better solution to offer. Until we are able to hire robots, there’s no other way to discern the truth other than to outwit and trick your candidates into spilling the beans about their flaws & weaknesses.
Do you know what’s more ridiculous than behavior-based interviewing? The process of buying a home.
Here’s what I don’t get:
- I’m expected to walk through someone’s funky bathroom, see past their ugly paint colors, and envision how I might spend the next twenty years of my life while ignoring their pet-stained carpets.
- I’m not allowed to spend the night in the house, cook myself a meal to see if the kitchen feels right, or take a shower (not that I would!) to ensure that I’m not too skeeved out by the environment.
- What’s worse is that I am asked to trust someone — a total stranger who is paid on commission — to walk me through the biggest purchase of my life.
The fact that I’ve never had a bad experience with a Realtor is one of the biggest faux baby jesus blessings of my life. My current Realtor is awesome, and she’ll cut your heart out with a spoon if you mess with me. I found her on the internet, at 2AM, and sent her an email message. We bonded. We clicked. None of it was scientific, but she’ll take you down if you cross me. Don’t even try.
There’s a lesson in all of this, yo. Recruiting — much like real estate and the other 99% of life — is not scientific or process-oriented. You can screen your candidates, train your managers, and demand that all questions are answered in the STAR format; however, most people applying for a job are decent human beings with the requisite skills and abilities needed to perform the documented tasks. Sometimes you’ll hire a great dude with sharp skills and a fantastic work-ethic; however, sometimes you’ll hire my brother. (Just kidding.)
It’s a crap shoot. As long as you know that you aren’t really in control, you’re smarter than 92% of the other HR chumps out there.
**
((oh yeah, by the way — I’m making an offer on a house, tonight, based on outmoded selection methodologies & criteria — and I realize that I don’t control much of this process, so wish me luck!!))
let’s not overlook all the lying that takes place on the other side of the table. want a company that offers a lot of money AND flexible hours? of course we do that! want a company that offers telecommuting and an entirely free benefits package? uh huh. we do that too.
we’re awesome.
we’ll never take you for granted or get upset when you leave early to take the kids to the doctor. nope. we’re not like that.
uh huh.
sure.
(i guess the flip side of that in your situation would be ‘our house is good as new’….it’s like we, and our pets, never even lived here. ha!)
good luck!
all the best!
deb
Sellers are so full of crap.
Did your cats ever pee on the carpet?
Oh no, never. Not at all. My cats are so talented that they use the toilet bowl and I buy them double-ply quilted northern ultra. They flush the toilet, too, because I’ve equipped them with robotic thumbs.
It is for this reason that I sometimes wish I didn’t have such a high internal locus of control mentality. I always WANT to have more control over the process than I should or ever could, no matter what I do. Oh well, to each her own.
@hrMinion You can’t control a situation if I’m busy controlling it first. It doesn’t work that way.
I agree with deb and would just add that taking a sledge hammer or spackle to an offending boss or employee is still not acceptable or legal. That non-load bearing wall on the other hand…
Best of luck on your real estate endeavor!
Jackbuilt
Here’s the best way for close to accurate hiring: Texas Hold ‘Em guides. At least you learn the tricks of the trade on how to bluff, how to act dumb when you got a good hand, and when to gamble. Of course, there are many books out there, so you’re back to square one.
Real estate transactions are too stressful with all parties motivated by best price, highest, lowest and commission. I’ve bought two properties, sold two properties (one of them for a family estate), and now live in the second one I bought and built on. This is my toes up toes first (TUTF) house, for that is the only way, at this time, that I will be leaving it.
Pretty much the same thing for my current employer TUTF.
Good luck with your dreams - may it be even more.
Congrats on the offer! I picked my realtor pretty much the same way… based on a gut feeling. I also use that when I interview.
@jackbuilt THANKS!
@TracyTran I don’t like gambling unless it’s the mindless slot machine. I like giving away my money in quarters.
@RMSJr I love TUTF and I’ve never heard it before. I’m going to use it.
@jensmack Sometimes the gut feeling is more accurate than facts, don’t you think???
Hehe… “You can prove anything with facts.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n-UGQcG3Jw
Good luck with the house Laurie!
I really do appreciate the HR drones who hold on to the status quo of the standard interview format. The behavioral questions, STAR format, et cetera. So when job seekers meet me and have a casual conversation like real people, I can play my cards tight and put them on tilt (luv the Texas hold-em!)
Zen recruiters should not share this secret with management! Just keep working your magic, and when it does not work out and you hire Laurie’s brother….for karma’s sake please take ownership of that hire to!!