Many people, especially younger ones, can relate to the agonizing experience of preparing and sending out dozens of resumes . They send out these resumes to as many employers they can think of and get little to no response. But this is just the start of the pain. If they get called for an interview they then have to spend significant time preparing for such. And then would have to hope they somehow find a way to ace that interview to actually get the job.
The BS approach
The typical approach to prepare for an interview involves researching as much as possible. Interviewees research things like how to look and sound confident; how to appear professional; and how to seem like you know much about a company that you may have never heard of before. Oh, and of course, who can forget the precise level of firmness that must be applied to each handshake you render, unless you want to completely ruin your chances of success.
Don’t forget that wearing the right color socks and underwear matter too; just in case someone happens to see them and gets turned off by your liking for brown, grey or pink. Or the fact that your undergarments may not actually compliment the color of your tie or skirt. i.e. (if you hopefully do or don’t wear one) because it just might be too distracting. My, just writing this sounds like so much more BS than I had originally imagined.
Questioning the approach
So here’s the thing. I too once studied and considered all of the above numerous times before heading to interviews in the past. And my thoughts then were hardly much different than what they are now: what’s the point of this? Quite frankly, even when the aforementioned advice works it’s still highly questionable.
I had a few opportunities to sit on the other side of interview tables throughout my career. Doing this confirmed just how valueless a lot of what some interviewers expect may be. Having the freedom to hire the exact persons I desired for high-valued jobs surely put things into the clearest perspective; it gave me the opportunity to see if when I was in a “position of power” my viewpoints would change.
A better approach
I remember some of the people I interviewed quite well. One girl was too shy, one guy was too nervous, one woman was too frank and another was too relaxed. And at the end of it all, I shortlisted each and every one of them to proceed further in the recruitment process. Why? Because I do not let first impressions overwhelm my clear judgment as to who someone may really be or can possibly be.
Too many people are quick to strike someone out based on their personal opinions and biases. They like to review things only on the surface, possibly because it’s easier than spending excess time confirming suitable candidates. After all, the traditional approach is to judge primarily based on looks, qualifications, experience and first impressions.
Keep an open mind
It’s always good to remember that people are only human and that they would each have specific strengths and weaknesses. Someone who is completely prepared for an interview and aces it isn’t necessarily more prepared to do the job at hand. Their strong-point can actually be in preparing more than anything else. Surely there will be a risk no matter who you choose. But the point of mentioning all of this is that it’s good to not always take people and their accomplishments at face value.
Perhaps I could be a little too understanding of the people I see while sitting on the other side of the table. But there’s something really humbling about sitting and staring at the weaknesses of others, only to see striking resemblances of both your past and present self. It consistently reminds me how back then I wished people did not judge me based on what they saw. But then I quickly remember that most people only care to evaluate based on what they see in front of them.
Maybe the thin line between being unforgiving and understanding lies in the saying, “he who feels it knows it”. And because of that, till the day I die, whenever I have the opportunity to sit on the other side of the table I always ensure that I show everyone equal compassion and equal respect. Because you just never know when you may find yourself sitting on the other side of the table … and who may get to judge.
