Today’s Tip: Prove-It Interviewing

The interview is the core of the candidate assessment process even though it is not a very reliable predictor of "on the job success". In fact, studies show that the interview process has less than a 50% correlation in determining the long-term effectiveness of making a good hiring decision and having a productive employee that was worth the investment. However, even though it is proven to be ineffective, (just like a lot of other things that corporations do), it is very ingrained into most company cultures and it isn't going away anytime soon. So what should you do?

Assume that you have to prove to the Hiring Manager that you are the perfect fit for the position. As illustrated in the cartoon below, if you were interviewing for a Furniture Builder role at IKEA, this is the perfect interview for you.



Although not all of us get thrown a "soft-ball" like this, if we stretched our imagination, I think you could prove to the interviewer that you are a great investment. For example, how many of you go to an interview with samples of your work? I know from my 20 years of experience that this percentage is very low. This is a lost opportunity to sell yourself for that role. Another example, how many of you follow-up after the interview with a 30-60-90 day plan on how you would begin your career with your new company? This would be an excellent opportunity for you to prove to them your capabilities and thought process of how well you understand the role and the "pain points" that the Hiring Manager is currently experiencing. If done effectively, it will demonstrate that there is minimal risk in pulling the trigger in hiring you.

So the next time you prepare for that interview, assume you are on trial in the court of law and you have to prove beyond a shadow of doubt that you are guilty; guilty of being the perfect candidate for the open position!