Can I tag along for an interview?

I got this question at a discussion forum with friends.

Can I tag along for an interview?

Adding a little more context to the question; the person asking the question comes with a background of approx 5-6 years of work experience and has been on the look out for a another job for the last few months. He hasn’t yet received a call from any prospective employer. Another person in the forum got an interview call with a company for a job that matches the original poster’s profile. This wasn’t a walk-in interview. It was a scheduled one. Should he just tag along with his friend?

The short & quick answer is – No. Please don’t tag along with your friend for an interview.

Now, here’s a bit more explanation. There are at least three different sets of people involved in this situation. In order of priority: Your friend. Company/Firm. Yourself.

First, let’s take your friend’s situation. He’s might have known you long enough and doesn’t want to end up saying ‘No’ (which he ideally should say). Yet, you are putting him on the spot by asking to tag along. It’s his interview call and let him go for it. The best you can get from your friend would be the mail ID of either the recruiter or hiring manager to send your resume. Tagging along would put him and yourself in an awkward situation at the interview.

Second, let’s see the company perspective. Yes, they would love to talk to another candidate, but it’ll have to be on another day too. This just happened to be a ‘scheduled’ interview. It means that time and effort of the interview panel was planned. They definitely can’t accommodate another unplanned candidate into their schedule. They’ll ask you to send your updated resume to them for consideration. Save yourself and them the trouble and wait for your friend to get back from the interview.

Finally, from your perspective, this is a great opportunity. Agreed. But you’ll end up messing the opportunity it if you tag along. Typically, companies would like to review a candidate’s resume before they initiate a discussion. And possibly even have a telephonic discussion before meeting you in-person. That hasn’t happened in your case, they’ll have to say ‘No’ to you.

Interviews: Panel v/s One-to-one

Well, you’re ready for that all important interviews to begin and walk into the room…and you’ve walked into one of the two scenarios (or versions of it).

• You come face-to-face with an interview panel of 2-4 (or at time even more) people waiting to start the interview.
or,

• You have one person waiting to start the interview.

Either way, it isn’t a choice that you were given. Instead, you’ll have to deal with it as it unfolds. Well, here’s the take on both sides of the story. Which would you prefer?

Typically, panel interviews are practiced (or should be practiced) by companies with trained interviewers. It requires a set of people asking questions that aren’t redundant and focuses on evaluating different skills/topics. Since it involves more than one person asking varied questions, it’s perceived to be a lot tougher to focus. Yes, it’s difficult to gauge the pulse of everyone on the panel, but you can be assured that the final hiring call rests (or should rest) with the manager. We can argue that the panel interview saves time, cost, more focused and gives you an accurate decision/assessment. It also acts as a platform to train new interviewers. At the same time, it can be intimidating to the candidate, more stressful or might even confuse the candidate with different questions at the same time. More importantly, one can’t rule out the possibility of a dominant interviewer’s opinion affecting the hiring decision.

The only way to ace a panel interview, like in other formats, is to go prepared and stay relaxed.

On other hand, we have one-to-one interviews. It gives candidates enough time to answer each question systematically and in detail. It also gives the interviewer an opportunity to speak more openly and ask open-ended questions. More importantly, each discussion can be customized based on the candidate. It gives an opportunity for the hiring manager to evaluate the interviewer’s independent assessment of candidates. This takes away the bias of the ‘influencer’ in a panel interview. On the cons, it’s time consuming, costs are higher and the process is tedious.

So, if you had the option to choose a type of interview, what would it be?

Things to leave off your resume!

• Links to your Facebook fan page, Twitter ID, blog (unless you manage a professional one for the business)


• Quotes from references. Really! Your reference will be contacted at a later time and given sufficient time to talk about your candidature.


• Your photograph. Take it off, unless you’re asked explicitly to add one to your resume.


• Confidential information from current employer, such as, links to your work that you’ve placed on a personal site (I’ve come across such a resume!)


• Personal information: about your spouse (where he/she works, company name, etc.), kids or neighbor’s dogs.


• Leave the resume looking professional. Don’t jazz up the background or have a font that’s best used on a greeting card!


• Weird email ID’s. Here’s why: http://bit.ly/2UphZ6


• Redundant contact details. If you don’t want to be reached, then don’t send out the resume!


• Abbreviations, acronyms and writing the entire resume in CAPS!

Candidate Tip - Part 9

Few months back, I started the ‘Candidate Tip Series’ on this blog with an intention to answer recruitment related questions from readers. The series was introduced in an attempt to avoid redundancy in replies. I tweet these tips on my twitter account too, and use #candidatetip for the tips.

If you are a candidate, hope this helps. If not, you can help send this post to people searching for answers. I’ll continue to take questions and should you have one, you can send it to thehrstore@gmail.com

Looking for the earlier posts on candidate tips? You can read them here

1. It's not a good idea to get your spouse to answer the phone, when an interviewer calls at a scheduled time. It's awkward!


2. If you're sharing your LinkedIn profile as a resume, don't include your personal Twitter/Blog Link. http://bit.ly/aTLGfm


3. Think twice before you take a role that requires you to report to a friend.


4. Why on earth would you want to put your sun-sign on your resume?! Beats me. Unless off course you're asked. That would be weird!


5. There's no real benefit in adding a redundant/not-in-use LinkedIn link in your resume. Avoid it.


6. Coming from a competitor definitely gives you an edge, but you still need to ace the interviews. Take nothing for granted!


7. It's not a great idea to take another interview on phone, while you wait in the lobby for the present one to start!


8. Try to not change your contact number(s) in the middle of an interview process. If you have to, keep the recruiter informed.


9. Yes, your spouse might be a financial analyst/genius., but the job offer and its components will only be discussed with you!


10. It's ok to ask the hiring manager a few questions on his/her style of management. You'll know if it works for you or not.


11. Your colleague(s) might be leaving the team, but it isn't a reason for you to look for a job change! Unless the entire project/program is canned.


12. It's not a good sign when you want re-negotiate after having already accepted the job offer. Think, ask questions and then say yes.

Prospective employer taking time to roll out job offer

From a reader:

I was interviewed for a middle management role with an MNC. Two rounds of management interviews went relatively fast, but the HR response came a bit slow. After couple of weeks, a junior HR rep called me with some queries and later asked me to fill up my details in an Employment Form. It’s been two weeks now and I have no confirmation/rejection reply from the company. I have been following up with the company and the responses are:

"It’s in the process of approval and is going positively"
"Our Head of Staffing will set up a call with you and then roll out the offer etc"

From your experience with HR, does it take so much of time (3 weeks) after I fill up the employment form before I get an offer or is something wrong here? I have couple of other offers but this is the most tempting one. So I was just wondering what to do as I am not getting any solid information from this company.

Thanks.

Well, I would relate back to my previous post for a couple of things.

First, there really isn’t a fixed time frame for a company to revert with an offer. Or even for that matter, to finish the interview process. It depends on the system that works best for them. I’ve known people who have got offers after four months of attending interviews! Really. It’s worked for them, since they weren’t really interested in a job change and had time on their hands. But, it doesn’t seem to be the same in your case, since you mention about a couple of other offers in your hands. About the time frame, yes, typically three weeks is considered a lot of time to make a decision. More so, if the role is of high criticality to their projects.

Another possibility could be that they are meeting other candidates before taking a final decision. Maybe the hiring manager wants to meet a few more candidates, before deciding on your candidature. Most hiring managers depend on data that indicates comparative degrees of competencies among candidates, to make a final decision.

About the responses, they could even be telling you the truth. Really. Most companies do have an approval process that involves people across various departments (business, HR, finance, etc.,) and geographies. This could be causing an unnecessary delay. But, their second response doesn’t seem right. If they indeed have the approvals and want to roll out the offer, they have a head of staffing who is really lazy and hasn’t sensed the urgency of the situation. It’s possible.

Here are a couple of things you could try now, to get more information:

1: You could check with the hiring manager directly. Most often, communication takes time to flow in the organization. The best way to get info is to go to the source of the information. Write him a mail asking for an update and also keep him informed about the discussion you’ve had with HR.

2: Did you get the other offers while you were interviewing with this MNC? If yes, have you told them that you already hold an offer? Not for anything, but to tell them you are really keen to work for them. In my experience, most companies expedite the offer process the moment they figure out the selected candidate has another offer. On the contrary, they’ll at least let you know that they need time. You can then make your decision.

Finally, I like to believe that you took up the other interviews since something about both those companies (role/compensation/benefits/perks/culture, etc.) interested you. Now, you need to answer for yourself, what is it about the MNC that makes the offer tempting? If there’s not much of a difference between them and the others, I would suggest you take up an offer in hand, rather than wait for an offer that might or might not happen.

Good luck!

Interviewed. Rejected. Called Again.

From a reader:

I had interviewed with a company a month back. According to my assessment, the interviews went fine and I was really keen to take up the role. After the interview, I was informed by the hiring manager that either he or the recruiter would schedule the final discussion. I didn't get any mail from either of them for a couple of weeks. However, at the beginning of the third week, I got a rejection mail from HR! It stated that they were keen to hire someone who fit the role better. I was really disappointed. I did not pursue the opportunity and planned to start interviewing with other companies. It’s been a month now and I got a call from the same recruiter asking if I was still keen to take up further discussions. I asked about the rejection mail and he did not have an explanation for it. I’m still keen with the role, but a bit apprehensive.

What should I do? Do I go ahead with the discussion?

Thanks.

Well, it’s not common. Yet, it does happen. There could be a few things that might have happened after they met you.

First, maybe the hiring manager met a more qualified candidate after he had met with you. He then decided to go with that candidate and asked the recruiter to send a rejection mail to you. They might have extended an offer to the candidate and he took time to decide, but eventually declined. If this happened, it’s left the hiring manager in a quandary. He’ll have to start the hunt for a new candidate, all over again. You were the next best candidate that came closest to meeting their requirements. It might explain why you were called again for the same role. The recruiter might not have much to say in this situation, it’s the hiring manager’s call.

Second, there’s a possibility that the hiring manager had a re-think on your candidature. The interview feedback might not have looked good initially, but later the manager decided to give it another shot. He might want to re-evaluate specific skill-sets, that they couldn't assess in the earlier rounds. Again, if this is the case, the recruiter is really just following instructions.

Third, the recruiter might have screwed-up. Really. It’s possible. He could have got a negative feedback from one of the interviewers you had met and he acted real quick. Later, the hiring manager asked him to schedule you for further rounds of discussion. Now, he has to salvage the situation, by getting you back for the next round of interview.

None of these are examples of a robust hiring process. Yet, these do happen and also brings out the flaws or gaps in communication between the hiring managers and the recruiters. Noticeably, the hiring manager has informed you that he/recruiter will schedule the final discussion! I really doubt if the hiring manager is the one making the final decision on hiring you. Clearly, someone higher-up in the chain is the key decision-maker.

I would suggest that you take up the discussion with the hiring manager. Ask him candidly about the rejection mail. You may also want to ask them one more thing; what made them reconsider your candidature? Your only chance to find that out is to have a discussion. Get the answers and you can then decide whether you want to pursue the opportunity or not. I would also suggest that you keep your options open, getting recalled for an interview doesn’t necessarily mean they are going to offer you the role.

Good luck!

Candidate Tip - Part 8

Few months back, I started the ‘Candidate Tip Series’ on this blog with an intention to answer recruitment related questions from readers. The series was introduced in an attempt to avoid redundancy in replies. I tweet these tips on my twitter account too, and use #candidatetip for the tips.

If you are a candidate, hope this helps. If not, you can help send this post to people searching for answers. I’ll continue to take questions and should you have one, you can send it to thehrstore@gmail.com

Looking for the earlier posts on candidate tips? You can read them here.

1. Find a way to explain the difference between your 'needs' v/s 'wants'. Leaving it ambiguous, could result in interpretations.


2. When you're invited for lunch in between interviews, eat just enough to keep you going. Please don't binge! Burping isn't likeable.


3. If you're scheduled for an interview but decide against a job change, let the recruiter/manager know in advance. Saves everyone's time & effort.


4. Collecting job offers from many firms = burning bridges with ones you'll reject. Think & apply. Do you need that 2nd offer?


5. Speaking fast when you don't know the answer doesn't help your cause. Say, "I don't know" & ask for the answer.


6. Coming from a direct competitor doesn't guarantee you a job. You'll still need to ace the interview.


7. Interview slots are well planned (atleast at most firms), so if you choose to take a phone-call in between, make it quick.


8. An 'open' offer is a great thing. Yet, I would suggest you have detailed discussions before saying 'yes' to the offer.


9. Don't use your official email ID to communicate with a prospective employer!


10. At interviews, use the white board (when available). Helps interviewers visualize your explanation. It works in your favor.

Started at the first job. Got a better second offer. What now?

From a reader:

I came across your blog while doing some research on Google.

I have a big dilemma and I wanted to hear what you would like to say.So I interviewed with a couple of companies around the same time for entry level positions. I got an offer from one and I accepted it. It is employment at will and the compensation package is decent. I tried negotiating the salary with the HR rep before accepting the offer, but it seemed like she wasn't willing to budge. I even questioned whether the package was competitive enough, but she insisted that it was and since I had no other outstanding offers, I decided to just accept the offer. I have begun work, but it’s only been about three days at the new position when another company calls me and gives me an offer.

Now, this new offer is MUCH more attractive, and MUCH more competitive. It is literally paying 50% MORE than the current position that I am in.

Now my question is: is it okay for me to call the HR from the first company that I am now working for, and quit since its employment at will? 2 weeks notice is unnecessary because I just started and it will just drag time, and waste man power. My opinion is that a 2 week notice will be detrimental to both me and the company since the company will have to waste 2 weeks of training me(since I am still at that 'training' stage), and I would basically be learning the functions of the team and the position for no reason. So that's my mentality of quitting without a 2 week notice. I know, I may be burning bridges here, but I know it is a dog eat dog world out there and my friends tell me, its all about survival of the fittest, and which position is clearly better for my career.

It is mostly about the money, because if I continue working at this company and reject the new offer, I would feel unmotivated and know that I am worth more than what I am currently being paid. I would not feel happy doing my job because I know I can do better for myself. Another thing is, I have been neglected at this new position for the most part. My team has been too busy to bother getting me acclimated and started at my post. I didn't like the culture since day 1, but I needed a job. Another thing I am complaining about is my desk space and my comfort level. The area that I am in is very uncomfortable, and I really don’t like my space, but I can’t do anything about that. But, if I decide to quit and go to the new job, I face a lot of 'what if" scenarios. Like what if, I don’t like it at all? What if I have no social life? But I can also answer it myself, and say that I am young and I have time to explore. I really want to quit and go to the new company to venture out and live without regrets. Because if I don’t go for it, another what if scenario is: what if I DID go for it? What could have become of it?

There is also a question of ethics, but I feel like I should push that aside, and be shallow for myself because it’s very important to me where I begin my career. I am almost certain that I want to quit and go to the new company, but I would like to know from your perspective, what is the best/most professional way to go about doing it, without causing too much damage to the original company? Can you describe it from both sides of HR? (first company and the second company).

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks a lot!

Well, to start with, you’ve captured most of the situations that could crop up from this move. I’ll just go with a candid outlook of the way that it would look from either side.

Thoughts from the first company:

Yes, you got it right. It would burn bridges. Period. It would seem unethical to back out from a job you started just three days back. If your area of work is niche, there’s a good chance that people from the first company could end up working with you or even end up as hiring managers at a firm you might apply later on. Then there’s the bit about networking. People network. When they network, they share information and they aren’t going to say good things about your move.

Assuming you took the second offer, it would be a breach of commitment with the first company. Based on your commitment managers would have spent a lot of time and effort to plan things for your role. Again, the past three days might not be sufficient time to assume otherwise. Now, you would be gone just when they were about to settle down. They’ll need to invest the same amount of time and effort to find another candidate for the job. Most of whom, would have a got a ‘rejection’ email by now, based on you accepting the role. Also, to be honest, three days is an extremely short duration of time to judge the work culture of a company.

Here’s the deal, you might not be allotted work during the two weeks of notice. But generally HR would ask you to serve out the two weeks, with fear of setting a precedent among people in a similar role. You really can’t walk-in and walk-out of a job that easily. By not serving the two weeks notice, you run the chance of getting yourself on the wrong list. HR wouldn’t necessarily be giving you the best reference. Stick to the exit process and leave after completing the formalities. There’s a high possibility that they are ready to relieve you faster.

Would the HR go out of their way in tracking your next move? Not really. Unless the second employer comes asking for some background. Unlikely.

Thoughts from the second company:

Their reaction depends on the couple of things. First, if you choose to not tell them about the previous job. Nothing changes. They’ll go about the normal offer process and on-boarding activity. Second, if you choose to tell them about the previous job, then their reaction might vary. It would be along the lines of, “Great! We’ve got him with us. For now.” You’re wondering why just for now? They’ll watch your every move. Really. If it was mostly about the money that got you in, then it takes only that much more from a competitor to get you out of there. The move can be justified only if the second company is offering you a role that you were searching. HR’s feedback to the manager would be to treat you as a high risk employee. It’s a feeling that won’t go away quickly.

Would they do a background check? Yes, they would do it for information that you’ve provided on your resume or ‘candidate application form’. Is there a chance that they might stumble upon your first job? Maybe, yes.

What can you do now?

Well, I would start with talking to the current manager. Explain the situation and let him/her know that you weren’t expecting the second offer to come your way. That the offer is good and you would like to take it up. Follow the exit process and offer your help to find a replacement (with references) during the two weeks notice period. It’s not an obligation, but it does leave a good impression. Nobody wants to be left high and dry.

Apart from the money, I hope you’ve evaluated other factors of the second offer. If you don’t like the role, the money will soon cease to be of great interest. You wouldn’t want too many job changes early on in your career.

Good luck with your new job!

Candidate Tip - Part 7

Few months back, I started the ‘Candidate Tip Series’ on this blog with an intention to answer recruitment related questions from readers. The series was introduced in an attempt to avoid redundancy in replies. I tweet these tips on my twitter account too, and #candidatetip for the tips.

If you are a candidate, hope this helps. If not, you can help send this post to people searching for answers. I’ll continue to take questions and should you have one, you can send it to thehrstore@gmail.com

Looking for the earlier posts on candidate tips? You can read them here.

1. Don't act surprised when you get a 'scheduled' call from an interviewer. You were asked for a good time to be reached. No?
2. If you're sending your LinkedIn profile for a role, then take out your wedding picture on your profile! Doesn’t look professional.
3. Please wait for the interviewer to finish the question. Else, u might miss out on answering the actual question in its entirety.
4. It's critical for your new employer to know your start date. Don’t commit to a start date without thinking. Keep some buffer.
5. Interview questions are NOT always about 'Yes/No'. Some are asked to understand your approach in getting to the solution.
6. Use interviews to ask as many questions. Really. You don't get rejected for asking questions. If you do get rejected for that, you don’t want to work there.
7. Show discretion when you want to disagree with an interviewer.
8. It's ok to have an exploratory talk before you dive into interviews. But once you decide, stick to it. Reneges aren't liked!
9. Ask for a 'job description' before you take up an interview. It'll give you some context to the role & future discussions.
10. Keep in touch with your references. Sending them a mail one fine day doesn't work at all times. Result: Job offer's on hold!
11. Don't be the one to end an interview. Let the interviewer end it. You can end it you aren't keen on the role. Saves time.
12. Use the word 'expert' in your resume, with utmost discretion. Any 'expert' claim will get validated with more rigor.
13. If you're talking to the hiring manager, ask for an email ID. Might be of help later (interview feedback, thank you note, etc)

I don't know.

I don’t know, are the three words that I would like to hear from interviewees, when then don’t have an answer to an interview question. It's much better than rambling on with answers that absolutely make no sense. Really.

Beware! Show some discretion (Read: common sense) in using them for questions for which you really don’t have an answer. Those questions don’t include, “Why are you looking for a change?”, “Why do you want to work here?” or something along the same lines.

Fear of getting rejected at interviews or even getting judged, puts undue pressure on some candidates to come up with answers that absolutely make no sense. While on the contrary, the very reason to reject that person would have been the answers. A good interviewer isn’t expecting you to know answers to every question. They only try and check your approach towards a solution for a certain problem (or question). The way you approach a problem will tell a lot more than the actual solution itself.

Now that you have told, “I don’t know”, what’s next? There is a couple of ways that might help you gain the interviewer’s confidence.

First, ask for the answer. In my experience, I’ve noticed that candidates tend to go on the back-foot or get defensive or go into a shell, when they don’t know an answer. It’s that awkward minute between an unanswered question to the next question that you should grab with both hands. Ask for the answer. Yes, it’s that simple. You could say, “I don’t know, but I’d like to know the answer to the question. It will help me understand the topic.” You’ll be surprised that a trained interviewer actually looks for such traits in candidates.
`
Second, don’t use the clichéd, “I don’t know the answer, but I’m a quick learner.” It means zilch to a person trying to determine your approach. In case you are uncomfortable asking for the answer during the interview, it’s ok. Make a note of that question. Get back home. Dig for answers, either through books, blogs, online, whatever it takes to get the answer. Mail it to the interviewer with mention of the sources you used to get to the answer. This is an approach that very few candidates take and it could help you stand out in a crowd. Your efforts will definitely be recognized by good interviewers.

Saying “I don’t know” is one of the easiest answers for a question that one doesn’t know the answer to. It’s what you do about the don’t-know-part that counts.

Good luck!

Entrepreneurial instincts

Here’s a question that I’d recently asked on Twitter.

Does HR value people with entrepreneurial instincts ? Or do we try and fit square pegs in round holes?

Surprisingly, I got consistent replies from across geographies. The answer was – No, HR doesn’t value entrepreneurial instincts. We try and fit square pegs in round holes. There are multiple answers to this question. Some may work, others might not. Some have the required flexibility, while others deal with rigidity.

As clichéd as it sounds, entrepreneurs are a rare breed. They come with characteristics and traits that differ a lot from most people. Traits include (but not limited to): high competency, high levels of risk taking, high self confidence and very competitive, creative bent of mind, innovative spirit, proactive behavior and need for freedom at workplace.

Given that we know certain traits of an entrepreneur it brings me to ask a couple of questions:

What can HR do to value entrepreneurial instincts?

• To start with, it can improve the talent management system in the organization that gives flexibility to entrepreneurs to choose their career paths.
  
• Map the entrepreneurial traits identified and create performance management systems that include innovation at the center of the review. Look towards the results achieved rather than the approach.
  
• Encourage and train managers to accept or have for a higher tolerance for failure. Not all entrepreneurial ideas will take off.
  
• Get the recruiters to hire right. If the Company doesn’t have a culture that supports entrepreneurship, then it doesn’t make sense to get someone who will eventually leave you just as quickly. It’s critical to identify what’s needed for the role.
  
• Work closely with managers to indentify what percentage of their workforce needs to be entrepreneurs. Not everyone needs to be an entrepreneur.
  
• Have a robust feedback system. Entrepreneurs need to be given feedback on a regular basis.
  
• Bring in transparency into the performance review system. Employees need to know the parameters that define the role of an entrepreneur. However, there’s a catch to this approach. You cannot have performance review processes that make it mandatory for innovation! It’ll back-fire big time, since this approach will ask employees to take up roles that they aren’t comfortable with.
  
• Promote the jobs internally within the organization and then share it with the outside world. Employees must be encouraged, based on their competencies, to take up roles that require innovation. And they’ll appreciate the role was shared with them first.
  
• Money matters. Even to that entrepreneur who tells you that he wants freedom for innovation above all else. Really. Pay structures need to be flexible depending on the role that one play’s in the Company. Entrepreneurs should have a high incentive plan, that’s directly linked to their performance. Better performance means more money.

Why doesn’t HR value entrepreneurship instincts in employees?

• The challenge is not in accepting the need for entrepreneurship within the Company. It’s the lack awareness on how to make the fit happen. The need to look for a way to fit in innovation, risks and costs involved, are a bigger challenge. There’s already a team in place and business has defined its goals and objectives. Challenging status quo in a process oriented Company might not work in the best interest of the Company.
  
• Company culture plays an important role for hiring/retaining entrepreneurs. If the culture doesn’t support the system to fit in entrepreneurs, then it’s a disservice to both the candidate and the Company to come together to work.
  
• HR might not have been given the authority to take the call on hiring entrepreneurs. It means that HR/recruiter will eventually fall back on the hiring manager who’ll make the decision.
  
• Lack of transparency might make it really hard to determine if the Company really needs an entrepreneur. If not, not amount of talking/incentives/promises will keep them back.
  
• It could also be a result of of not identifying the candidate's entrepreneurial instinct at the hiring stage.

What’s your take? Your replies will give some food-for-thought to HR readers of this blog.

Candidate Tip - Part 6

Few months back, I started the ‘Candidate Tip Series’ on this blog with an intention to answer recruitment related questions from readers. The series was introduced in an attempt to avoid redundancy in replies. I tweet these tips on my twitter account too, and #candidatetip for the tips.

If you are a candidate, hope this helps. If not, you can help send this post to people searching for answers. I’ll continue to take questions and should you have one, you can send it to thehrstore@gmail.com

Looking for the earlier posts on candidate tips? You can read them here.

1. You don't need to put your photograph on the resume, unless you're asked to put it. Looks very tacky and needless to say a good recruiter/hiring manager isn’t going to hire you for the looks, unless the role demands it.



2. It's ok to mail the recruiter/hiring manager, asking for an interview feedback. Moderation is the key. Don’t flood them with calls/mails every waking hour.



3. It’s fine that you are the kind who laughs a lot, but please answer the question. Laughing is not an answer. Yes or No, are the only two choices.



4. It's a phone interview. Didn't you know you shouldn’t talk when you have food in your mouth? Basic manners. Well, it’s a scheduled interview. You either eat or you talk.



5. If you reject a job offer, then I assume you've given it enough thought before deciding. Asking to reconsider might not always work.



6. You don’t need to put on a 'fake' accent in an interview! Why would you want to? Beats me. Talk slow. Listen well. Be precise.



7. Telling an interviewer that you got delayed because you went shopping before an interview, doesn’t really going down well. Retail therapy before an interview? Seriously!



8. I know music is soothing, but please switch off that radio in the b/ground. It's an interview! Not a music-fest.



9. On Skype video-discussion, make sure you keep your pet away from the screen. Yes, I understand he’s excited too, but this is an interview!



10. If you've given a secondary contact number, then please keep the owner of that number informed. An interview isn’t a spam call!



11. Attending an HR interview doesn’t mean you'll get an offer! Its part of the interview process and your callous attitude could cost you the job. It’s never over, until it’s over. Remember?



12. If you want to take the interview in a different language, then let the recruiter know your preference while scheduling the call. They either come prepared or send someone who understands the language or use an interpreter.

Can I record my job interview?

I’m looking for a job change and have been interviewing with select employers. I’ve noticed that most interview processes start with a phone-interview. The interviewer is either the hiring manager or a person from the technical panel. I want to know if I can record phone interviews. I’m interested in working on the questions asked in the interviews, since it will help me prepare for future interviews.

Thanks.

Well, must say, this is an interesting question. While you’ve got a valid reason to record phone interviews, to start with, you will need the consent of the interviewer.

Getting consent is very tricky since there are dependencies attached to it. First, the Company/interviewer will need to address the legalities involved in giving consent. Read: Potential lawsuits. Second, far too many interviewers aren’t trained at taking interviews and might end up saying or committing to things that aren’t in their control. They might fear you’ll hold them responsible for it at a later stage.

Let’s assume you do get consent, I suspect there’s a high possibility that the interviewer might show restraint in sharing information around confidential data, career growth, details around compensation, etc. On the other hand, nothing stops you from pressing the record button on the phone, as long as you are using it ONLY for your own purpose and you don’t hold the Company/interviewer responsible for anything committed in the discussion. I would suggest you don’t do that and instead take notes.

That prompts me to ask: What is stopping you from taking notes during an interview?

If you do take notes, you can write back to the interviewer, sharing your understanding of the role and responsibilities required for the job. If there really is a technical question that you need help with getting answers, here’s an approach that might work in your favor. Write down the question during the interview. Once you’re done with the interview, search for answers (online, books, peers, friends, etc.). Mail the interviewer with answers to the question that you weren’t to answer in the interview. In my experience, good interviewers for mighty impressed with candidates that follow this approach. It tells them three things. One, you are keen about the role. Two, you've demostrated your keenness by getting back to them with solutions. Three, you are receptive to feedback. It's a combination that interviewers look for and will help you stand out among many applicants.

Good luck!

Candidate Tip - Part 5

Few months back, I had started the ‘Candidate Tip Series’ with the intention to answer hiring related questions from readers. The series was introduced in an attempt to avoid redundancy in replies.Further, I tweet these tips on my twitter account too using #candidatetip.

If you are a candidate, hope this helps. If not, you can help send this post to anyone searching for answers. I’ll continue to take questions and should you have one, you can send it to thehrstore@gmail.com

Looking for the earlier posts on candidate tips? Here’s part – 1, 2, 3 and 4

• When asked for a good time to schedule an interview, don’t give a time when you can’t take the call! Use a 3-step process: Stop. Think. Answer.



• I know it's your personal email account; but having 'corny' messages in your mail signature won't work in your favor in a job hunt.



• Dear Candidate: I didn't call to listen to your ringer-tone song selection! Pick up the phone at the scheduled time for an interview.



• If you choose send your LinkedIn profile instead of a resume, then ensure your LinkedIn profile is updated with details.



• Please don't mention your Facebook/Twitter links on your resume (unless asked). Same as with blogs (here's why http://bit.ly/astvvv)



• Changing your contact number is fine, but do keep the recruiter/interviewer informed. Common sense. No?



• Avoid clichés in your resume & you'll notice 2 pages is a lot of space to fill out your professional achievements. Try it.



• If you've a post lunch interview, plan your food intake with care. Over-eating leads to 'burping'. Only Garfield likes it!



• You might think you're friendly in your approach. But hugging an interviewer isn't the best way to greet! WTH were you thinking.



• Sending gifts to an interviewer isn't going to get you the job! Doing well in the interviews will improve your chances.

What will get you rehired? Or not.

Your chances of getting rehired are blown away, if:

You’d sent your resignation via voicemail / text / fax.
As silly as it sounds, I’ve come across people who chose to send their resignation over phone! The only way to do it is in-person, unless you are working remotely.

You didn’t serve out the required notice period.
Yes, we know you got a better job offer elsewhere. That doesn’t give you the right to walk away without serving your notice period. Your unfinished work landed on your colleague’s plates, not that they don’t already have enough to do!

You left your team members high & dry in the middle of a critical project.
Again, we know you got yourself a great job, but your team members haven’t forgotten your act.

Performance was the primary reason for your exit.
The job still requires the same skills. Not many companies take it well even if you’ve been away from over a year.

You were fired for disciplinary action.
Remember that sexist comment you passed on your colleague…during work hours? Yep, people haven’t forgotten that. Nor have they forgotten that drunken incident on that fateful Friday. Drinks were on-the-house, so was your behavior!

On the contrary, you’re chances of getting rehired increases, when:

You left on a positive note. (Captain Obvious? Yes!)
Searching for a job can get one to do crazy things, like asking to get rehired after burning bridges with the previous employer. No, they aren’t interested.

Ready to start afresh.
That would mean salary, benefits, perks and insurance. Everything. Your ego too. Period.

Good rapport with the team members.
You might the manager’s pet, but nobody wants to work with a team member who doesn’t gel well.

Your team members want to refer you back.
Managers are employees too. Chances are that your previous manager has quit as well. That would leave your team members to refer you back. Would they?

What have you gained since the time you left?
Very important question that deserves a well thought out answer. Be honest.

You’re ready to undergo the interview grind, one more time.
Being in the role earlier doesn’t guarantee you a place in the team. Get yourself prepared for the interview grind.

Your previous Company wants you back!
This has to be the best case scenario for getting rehired.

In the end, opting to get rehired starts with answering a very basic question: Is this your ONLY option?

What would you do? Take a quick poll.

Candidate Tip - Part 4

Few months back, I had started the ‘Candidate Tip Series’ with the intention to answer hiring related questions from readers. The series was introduced in an attempt to avoid redundancy in replies.

Further, I tweet these tips on my twitter account too using #candidatetip. If you are a candidate, hope this helps. If not, you can help send this post to anyone searching for answers. I’ll continue to take questions and should you have one, you can send it to thehrstore@gmail.com

Looking for the earlier posts on candidate tips? Here’s part – 1, 2 and 3.

Here’s Part – 4:

Don't pick up the phone & start texting during an interview! If it's that important, keep the interviewer informed that you are expecting a text message that needs your reply. It’s obvious, you need to inform the interviewer before the start of the interview.

No, you can’t invite your wife for a luncheon that's specifically organized for you to get to know the team. Family day will come later.

Flying you down for an interview is an expensive deal. So missing a flight doesn’t show you in good light. It’s always better to be early at the airport. Plan well.

Nervousness while interviewing is ok. But don't ramble on when you don’t know the answer. It's ok to not know a few things.

When asked, "Do you have any questions?" in an interview. Ask. Don't wait for the offer letter to get to know the company. Might be late. You would have wasted everyone’s time. Especially your time.

You might have submitted your resume earlier, but it's ok to carry an updated one (if any) for the interview. However, keep the interviewer informed before the start of the interview.

No, you can't involve your spouse in the offer discussion! Red flag! Where did that come from? You were interviewed for the role. Did the interviewer miss catching something during the interview?

Cracking too many smarta$$ jokes / just laughing for no reason during an interview doesn't go in your favor. It question’s your very interest in the role. That might not even be true!

It's advisable to plan well & take the telephonic interview in a calm/silent place. That background noise might drown out our answer.

Increase in your personal expense isn't a 'valid' reason to ask for a hike! You don't need a hike, u need better money management. Think before you talk.

Recruiter mails offer letter to official email ID!

From a reader:

I had interviewed a couple of weeks back and got through after multiple rounds of interview. Prior to the start of the interview process I had filled out a ‘pre-interview’ form that was given to me by the recruiter. In the contact details part of the form, I had mentioned my personal email id and phone number as primary contact points. I was also asked to give my current official email id as part of the form filling exercise. I had clearly indicated that I was not to be reached or sent any communication about the interview process to my official email id, since the email is shared within the team. I made it through the interviews and the recruiter had called to discuss the offer with me before emailing it to me. He then sent the offer letter to my official email id. I think my manager and colleagues have read the mail. This might affect my exit and references. How do I manage this?

My reaction on reading this was…Arrgghhh, another recruiter blunder! The first one was here, but this one’s plain stupid.

Well, there are at least five different sets of people that are going to get affected by this mail. You. Your current manager. Colleagues. Prospective manager. Recruiter.

We’ll take it one at a time.

First, are you ok with the offer? If yes, it makes things a lot easier. There really isn’t much you can do now but start the exit discussion with your manager. You cannot rule out the possibility that this will affect your exit process. You can however come out clean and tell the manager that you had provided the email id as part of the form filling activity. Further, that you had clearly indicated (I hope this wasn’t just verbal) that the official id was not to be used for any sort of interview communication. It’s good to be truthful, cause then you have nothing to hide. He might buy that, but don’t bank on him accepting it right away. He’ll be wary of setting a precedent. If he goes easy on you, the other team members won’t take to it lightly. He’ll have to deal with discontented team members who know about the offer. On the other hand, if you aren’t ok with the offer, then I suggest you either bargain for a better offer or start updating your resume. Hope it’s the former that works out better.

I’ll give the benefit of doubt to your colleagues and assume they didn’t read the mail which was addressed to you. But then, curiosity can do strange things. If for example, the mail had a subject line: From xxxxx: Offer Letter. That would turn even the most disinterested reader into a curious reader. Your colleagues are going to be upset with you. Period. Not because you are leaving them (that’s more emotional), but because they now know your offer and are comparing that with their current job. Your manager’s not going to be happy with this situation. One person’s mail has caused an imbalance within the whole team!

Next up is the recruiter. Well, where do I start? I’m just going to say that if I was the recruiter’s manager, I would be having a candid discussion right this minute. The recruiter’s blunder is going to affect their chances of getting you across the line. Hope you have mailed the recruiter, making your displeasure known. This might not help your case, but he should know he messed up. The damage has been done and the worst part is that he is no longer in control of the consequences.

As for the prospective manager, if you are ok with the offer, I suggest you write to him and explain the situation. You may want to tell him about the possibility of not getting references from your present manager. However, do mention that you’ll try and work out things from your end. There’s only so much your future manager can do. He wasn’t the one sending out the mail. Hopefully, he’ll understand and give you some flexibility.

Finally, the person in the middle of the storm is you. Since the email id is shared, there’s a possibility that a log’s maintained for all mail transactions. Bring it up with the manager and request him to either delete it or allow you to delete it from the id. Again, it’s only damage control. It will only stop others (who haven’t already read the mail) from accessing the mail.

Good luck!

Should I hire external interviewers?

From a reader, based on a previous post here.

I have a question that’s in context to an earlier post on getting interviewed by a younger person. I’m the only HR person at a startup that has fourteen employees. We currently don’t have interviewers within the startup for specific skills. We are planning to hire external interviewers from agencies to take interviews for these skills. I’ve been assigned to find out the feasibility of going with this model. There is a possibility that we would have younger external interviewers taking interviews for senior roles. Would it impact the way candidates perceive the startup? If we choose to go with this model, what should we look out for?

Thanks.

Well, it’s an interesting thought. At the startups that I worked, we had used the services of external interviewers and must say that we had a so-so hit. But I did get to learn a lot from that experience and here’s my take on the model.

First, since your question is based on my previous post, I’ll repeat that as long as you have competent interviewers, the interview process should go on just fine. Don’t get confused with years of work experience and competency. Especially in a startup that most often relies heavily on the latter.

Well, coming back to your question. What deliverables are you expecting from the external interviewers? If you are hiring them to identify the best fit candidate from start to end, then you may want to rethink that strategy. Yes, it’s critical for the external interviewers to understand the job requirements before starting the interview process. However, the key to make this is work is to ensure that the external interviewers are to only assess specific skills. Their selection process should be very objective. That should be the very reason you would want to hire external interviewers. After they have done identifying the right fit candidate, you then continue with your normal interview process. The final decision or call on hiring a candidate should rest with the people running the startup. Period.

Would this impact the candidate’s perception? I don’t think so. Really. Every startup needs to be sold like an idea and that applies even to candidates. If that’s true, then candidates would have got enough information about the startup from you, before coming down for an interview. So, sparing the odd candidate, most of them wouldn’t really change their perception of the startup. Should you tell them about hiring external interviewers? Maybe, just maybe, you may not want to emphasize on that. As long as you have chosen a fair selection process and one that lets you make the final decision, it should work fine.

What to watch out for? Set the right expectations for their role in the hiring process. Never let them do the selling. Track deliverables regularly, but don’t micromanage their interviews. It’s quite obvious that they’ll charge you a fee for taking interviews, that shouldn’t force you to ask them to select candidate(s) in a hurry. Your $x dollars spent now will multiply 2x/3x times, which way would you want it to go? Spend it on firing a wrong fit candidate in 3 months or making money from a right fit candidate that can deliver the best for your startup’s product/service. The choice is simple. Isn’t it?

Good luck!

Interviewed by a younger person

I have been looking for a new job for the past few months and I’m in the final rounds of discussion with a couple of companies. At both places I was interviewed by people who were a lot junior to me in years of experience. Although I was hesitant at the beginning, I did go through the interview process. Is it normal practice for junior employees to take interviews for senior roles?

Well, it doesn’t qualify as normal practice, but I know for a fact that many companies are ok with this style of interviewing. Personally, I’ve interviewed people who came in with more number of years of work experience than me. The keyword is ‘years’ and gathering more years doesn’t necessarily guarantee gathering expertise. No?

I see many possibilities for such a situation to occur. First, it might just be that they don’t have any senior (by age/years of service) interviewers with enough skills to conduct interviews and hence they have placed their expectations on a junior employee with the required expertise. Second, it gives some indications that they are a result oriented company and don’t really place years of experience as a criteria to take interviews. It could purely be based on subject matter expertise in specific areas that they are hiring for. If someone with four years has shown enough maturity and expertise to take interviews, they find its ok for that person to interview someone with nine years work exp with lesser expertise.

Now, onto the other side of your question. If you are of the opinion that a certain number of years of experience define seniority, then I’ll have to strongly disagree. Yes, you need to be cognizant of the interviewer’s age. But that shouldn’t be a major factor in your decision making. On the contrary, it would work best for you if you do accept that many things have changed on the hiring front and try not to come off as condescending. The interviewer would also be assessing your comfort levels of working with people of all ages.

Good luck!

Post that might interest you: Less could be more!

Candidate Tip: Part 3

In case you are reading this for the first time and wondering how come it's Part 3 already! Then you can catch up by reading the earlier parts to this series here & here.

1. Put your phone on silent mode during an interview. There’s only one other person in the room. So acting like it’s not your phone ringing, is stupid!



2. Talking in low voice because you're not in a good place to take the call isn’t the interviewer's fault! It was scheduled. Plan better.



3. It's ok to say that you don't know the answer for an interview question. Answering vaguely doesn't help. But do ask the answer.



4. Speak only in the language that's chosen as medium for the interview. Bringing in native words sounds unprofessional. Avoid it.



5. Are you a manager? Then isn't 'Conflict Management' a critical part of a manager's role? What's your approach? Critical to know.



6. When you are offered coffee/tea & you sip it loud enough to be heard 10 cubicles away, it's just GROSS.



7. Swiveling in your chair during an interview looks very unprofessional. Stay put. Unless you don't want the job.



8. If you chose to send your LinkedIn profile before sending your detailed resume, then please update your LI profile.



9. Why use a pseudo-name on a resume?!? I'm stumped.