Better working through chemistry

Someone recently told me about an interview she conducted where the candidate gave many intimate details of her life and was horrifyingly candid about her past employer. The candidate was eliminated due to the performance, but the Program Manager conducting the interview was so concerned about the candidate's frankness that she contacted the candidate afterwards to advise her never to do that in an interview again.

Last fall, a job seeker reported to a colleague after an interview that the hiring manager told him on the way out that he shouldn't be so nervous and shy in the future.

Both applicants were lucky to get feedback, because most employers disappear like a bad date.

"I'll call you."
"Don't call us, we'll call you."
"You should hear something in the next week or two."

Susan Kreimer explores the dating metaphor in an article on interview chemistry.

It touches on being personable without being too personal, as well as the focus for "getting the right fit" when hiring.

In this job market, and when working with populations with severe barriers to employment, we need to be generous when determining the right fit: it includes complementary work styles and backgrounds and doesn't mean that all staff are from the same mold.