It was the best of candidates.  It was the worst of candidates. 

This is the tale of two candidates. 

Candidate One was nervous but collected.  Candidate Two was fidgeting so much they could be described as “twitchy.” 

Candidate One’s clothing wasn’t fancy, but it was clean and wrinkle-free.  One’s hair was clean and well groomed.  Candidate Two was wearing jeans and a t-shirt they’d obviously had for a while.  Two’s hair was too long.

Candidate One explained their work history chronologically, and their experience was a good fit for the job they were applying for.  Candidate Two stumbled over their work history several times and needed prompting to even remember the job they had before their most recent one. 

Candidate One explained they’d made a mistake in their past, but then outlined how they’d used that to motivate themselves, told what lesson they’d learned, and talked about what they’d put into place to ensure the mistake didn’t happen again.  Candidate Two had a criminal conviction.  Game.  Over. 

I look back on the decisions we made next, and I’m grateful.  I’m grateful for the choices we made, and I’m grateful for the insight it gave me into how we need to treat the people who use their valuable time to interview with us. 

You see, Candidate One and Candidate Two are the same candidate, viewed through different lenses.  The two Supervisors with me in that interview each saw completely different candidates that day. 

The reality is that it wasn’t the best interview we’d ever had.  The candidate cared so much about joining our team they were nervous and needed prompting to get through their summary of work experience.  The candidate was dressed informally but had obviously taken care to come to the interview well groomed.  The candidate had a minor criminal conviction in their past, but they discussed that period in their life and how they’d made changes since then with such openness and earnestness we went to bat for the candidate to allow them to receive a job offer anyway. 

The Candidate accepted our offer and became The Employee.  They’ve been employed with that company for over a decade now, having been promoted multiple times along the way. 

We sometimes forget we have a whole lot of power as interviewers and hiring managers.  And this tale of two candidates – who were really one talented person who, like many of us, had made a mistake or two long the way – still serves as a reminder to me every single day that we have an obligation to take a minute to take a deeper look than our first glance.  We have an obligation to help people share their stories. 

Sure.  We took a chance on this candidate, and it could have gone the other way.  But that interview taught me that when we take a few extra minutes to see deeper than the veneer, we can find some of the most amazing people we could ever be blessed to work with. 

*Please note:  If we’ve ever interviewed together, “The Candidate” is actually a compilation of multiple amazing people I’ve had the honor of interviewing over the years, with a couple of my own mistakes peppered in, just for fun.

#TA #HR #Interviewing