Recruiting Animal

The Charisma of Politicians

From: Jack Todd (edited)

For my generation that moment, 50 years ago this coming Friday, was the fault line, our Pearl Harbor and 9/11 all rolled into one. There was the golden time before Kennedy was shot when all was possible — and there was the time after the assassination, when the world seemed a much darker and more uncertain place.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35th president of the United States, was my hero. I worshipped the man like no other person I have known, before or since.

As the son of New Deal Democrats, I would have supported Kennedy no matter what, but my fierce support for the man was sealed by a personal encounter long before he defeated Richard M. Nixon in the 1960 presidential election.

During the Democratic primaries, Kennedy visited Nebraska. My grandfather, a staunch supporter of the Democratic Party, took me to hear him speak. After the speech, Kennedy was led to a room at the back and my grandfather was one of those invited to meet the candidate. When the time came, he pushed me ahead.

Kennedy shook my hand, patted my shoulder, looked me in the eye (in that way gifted politicians have of making you feel that you are the only person in the room who matters) and said he hoped I would vote for him when I was old enough.

Vote? That was not nearly enough. I would have run through fire for the man.

 

For An Interviewer Being Different Pays

Journalist, Tom Wolfe, learned that it didn't pay to try and be buddy-buddy with the people he was interviewing. Here he is talking about interviewing people for his book about hippies, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

From: Ed Driscoll

Wolfe said that Kesey would often test visitors and try to determine who among them was a “weekend hippie” and who actually followed the hippie lifestyle.

“He would say, ‘All right, let’s everybody get naked and get on our bikes and go up Route 1,’ ” recalled Wolfe. “They did. This separated the hippies from the weekend hipsters very rapidly. I didn’t have to worry because I was in my three-piece suit with a big blue corduroy necktie and the idea that I was going to take any of this off for anybody was crazy.”

The suit, he said, functioned to differentiate him from the people he covered in his pieces — and made it clear to his subjects that he was not one of them.

“I have discovered that for me, it is much more effective to arrive in any situation as a man from Mars than to try and fit in,” he said. “When I first started out in journalism, I used to try and fit in. … I tried to fit into the scene. … I was depriving myself of the ability of some very obvious questions if I fit in. … After that, I gave it up. I would turn up always in a suit and just be the village information gatherer.”

Wolfe is quoted from an interview on NPR

Interviews, Image and Reality

PLAY - Image v Reality 11 06 15

A few weeks ago I announced on Twitter that I love Gwyneth Paltrow. Naturally, someone challenged me and this time it was - no surprise - @ResumeStrategy. She said something like: "That's an odd thing to say. Not many men I know  would say that they love some celebrity."

Of course she meant not many real men -- but that's only because most guys are too smart to admit it. Is some guy going to go a movie and on the way home turn to his wife and say, "You know, honey, I really love Gwyneth Paltrow."? Not if he's smart

But social media is authentic and if millions of dollars were spent on Shakespeare In Love to make Gwyneth Paltrow seem totally loveable I'm not ashamed to say that it worked on me. In fact, listen to this: after I saw There's Something About Mary I was in love with Cameron Diaz and that was a low budget film.

And a few years ago I had a crush on Amy Winehouse. I liked her music and she looked good in her videos. But I guess that was shallow because my good friend, Maureen Sharib, the Tiger Mom of Telephone Sourcing took it upon herself to explain to me the meaning of the word skank.

Of course she's someone who always complains about women stabbing eachother in the back but I guess they don't like it when shallow guys like me get taken in by the media. But I'm not the only one. I read an article a few years ago by a guy who went to a wedding and who was there but Gwyneth Paltrow

So he wrote an article about it. He said she looked lovely and she sang a song and then she danced with him  And at the end of the article he said, "Imagine that, I danced with Gwyneth Paltrow!".

Now, I have to admit something. I saw Gwyneth Paltrow on TV recently and she wasn't like she was in Shakespeare In Love. In fact, I've seen her in a couple of other movies and she was never the same as she was in Shakespeare in Love.

That's true with Cameron Diaz, as well. I've seen her in other movies but it was never the same as There's Something About Mary. And, of course, poor Amy Winehouse became a drug addict and when you see a picture of her, now, it's hard to feel anything but sorry.

So, now I know you're thinking, "He's going to try to swing this around to job hunting. He's going to say, 'Don't be taken in by shallow images that were crafted to impress you'." But that's not what I'm going to say. I'm going to say the exact opposite.

I'm going to say that you can get your resume written by a pro and you can have a career counselor train   you to interview and you're still never going to make the kind of impression you want because you're not in a movie in which every word is written out in advance and if a scene doesn't go well they simply reshoot  -- 50 times if they have to.

Have you ever seen those politicians who all of a sudden in the middle of a speech start gesturing mechanically? That's what you get from coaching. You say to yourself, "I have to move my arms now to let everyone know I'm still alive." But if you have to tell yourself when to move you're just going to look like a robot and convince everyone that you don't have any life in you at all.

I'll bet Tony Blair doesn't have to do that because he's a naturally good speaker. Barack Obama is a good speaker too and, apparently, President Kennedy was very good in interviews. He knew how to lay on the charm and you didn't have to teach him how to do it.

So my advice on interviews is: don't worry about being a charmer. Focus on your professional knowledge. And if you suffer from stage fright, well, I've read about musicians who use beta blockers to deal with that but I'm not a doctor so don't go out and take them on my say-so.

Now, before the career pros jump all over me, please note: I'm not saying that it's worthless to go to a resume writer or an interview coach. I just said that your goals have to be limited. When the interviewer says, "Tell me about yourself," she doesn't want you to hear your personal history starting at kindergarten and a coach can warn you against doing that. But if you're a drip before an interview you're not likely to change much overnight.

And, yes, you can grow as you get used to presenting yourself. But how many people grow very much? Even people with potential, get a job and put their presentation skills firmly on the shelf.

 

Over-Confident Candidates

From: Sandra McCartt (edited)

I know that an interview has gone well when my candidate can tell me why she thinks it went well and can tell me what she learned about the person who interviewed her.

But that's not always so.

In interviews, candidates focus so much on telling their own story that they pay no attention to the interviewer.

Having heard their own tale so well told they come out beaming with confidence that things went well.

But they can't tell me in any detail what was said to them and they don't pick up any nonverbal cues because they are too wrapped up in themselves.

It helps if I tell them in advance that when they call me after the interview I want them to be able to tell me something they learned about the person and the company.

 

How To Run a Talk Show

From: Tynan on Carson, New Yorker (edited)

Carson never fraternizes with guests before or after the taping.

Newcomers are interviewed several days in advance by a talent coordinator who makes a list of the subjects on which you are likely to be eloquent or funny.

When you plunge through the rainbow-hued curtains you meet, for the first time, your host, interrogator, and judge. You have invaded his territory and once you are on Carson’s turf, the onus is on you to demonstrate your right to stay there.

Mort Sahl described what happens when a guest fails to deliver the goods.

“The producer is crouching just off camera and he holds up a card that says, ‘Go to commercial.’

So Carson goes to a commercial and the whole team rushes up to his desk to discuss what went wrong.

When an interviewer from Playboy asked Robert Blake whether he enjoyed doing the “Tonight Show,” he began by confessing that “there’s a certain
enjoyment in facing death, periodically.”

"It is so wired and so hyped and so up. It’s like Broadway on opening night.

"There’s nothing casual about it. And it’s not a talk show. You got like six minutes to do your thing. And you better be good. Or they’ll go to the commercial after two minutes.

"The producer, all the federales are sittin’ like six feet away from that couch. And they’re right on top of you, man, just watchin’ ya. And when they go to a
break, they get on the phone.

"They talk all over the place about how this person’s going over, how that person’s going over. They whisper in John’s ear. John gets on the phone and he talks. And you’re sittin’ there watchin’, thinkin’, What, are they gonna hang somebody?  And then the camera comes back again. And John will ask you somethin’ else or he’ll say, “Our next guest is.”

Carson can cope superbly with guests who tell interminable stories. Instead of quickly changing the subject he will allow them to ramble on while he affects  interest.

Now and then, however, he will let the camera catch him stifling a yawn.

 

Image vs Issues

From: The New York Times

The Republicans portrayed Mr. McGovern as a cowardly left-winger, a threat to the military and the free-market economy and someone outside the mainstream of American thought.

Whether those charges were fair or not, Mr. McGovern never lived down the image of a liberal loser, and many Democrats long accused him of leading the party astray.

Mr. McGovern resented that characterization mightily. “I always thought of myself as a good old South Dakota boy who grew up here on the prairie,” he said in an interview for this obituary in 2005 in his home in Mitchell.

“My dad was a Methodist minister. I went off to war. I have been married to the same woman forever. I’m what a normal, healthy, ideal American should be like.

“But we probably didn’t work enough on cultivating that image,” he added, referring to his presidential campaign organization.

“We were more interested in ending the war in Vietnam and getting people out of poverty and being fair to women and minorities and saving the environment.

“It was an issue-oriented campaign, and we should have paid more attention to image.”

 

How To Be A Good Guest

PLAY - Good Guests Prepare

You know, being interviewed is not that easy. Here's why.

First of all, you have to have general ideas in mind that you are ready to state at the drop of a hat.

For instance: "All Greeks have beards."

Then you have to have examples that illustrate the truth of the general ideas.

For instance: "Socrates had a beard."

Most people are rarely interviewed so they don't think about the lessons they've learned and they don't think of any evidence that would prove those lessons true.

That's why they're boring.

You might think that a recruiter would know how to give a good interview but they don't because they lead interviews, they don't give interviews themselves. So they are no different from anyone else.

If a candidate has all the information the recruiter needs right at her fingertips, the recruiter just assumes that's natural.

Recruiters are too naive to suspect that the candidate actually prepared for the interview.

Interview prep is a mystery to them. That's why they're boring when they come on The Animal Show.

All of a sudden someone who never gives an interview is asked to share some knowledge and, lo and behold, he's like a deer in the headlights. He doesn't have a thing to say.

Naturally, the guest will blame this on me. And I guess I deserve the blame because it's my job to make the show interesting even if the guest does nothing at all to help.

And they don't. And it's not like I don't ask them to prepare. I do. I beg them to think of stories before the show. And do they come on with stories? No.

Partly because it's just the Recruiting Animal Show. As I said, they think they can wing it when they can't. And they think the show is of no consequence anyway, so it doesn't have to be any good. And, as a result, it usually isn't.

So, if you want to be boring on The Recruiting Animal Show, don't prepare. Don't think of any topics you find interesting then don't think of how you would explain them to other people. That's the way to go.

"Oh, but Animal, I was prepared," the more defensive guest will say. "You just didn't give me the right cues." OK, look, if I don't ask about your favourite topics, just barge in and say "I want to talk about this." And then say something interesting.

If it's a lousy topic or you're verbose I will cut you off. People often say I cut off the good stuff but I don't agree. But, still, if you think I'm doing that you can fight for your right to party  That's allowed on The Recruiting Animal Show.

APPENDIX: LETTER TO A GUEST

Luke,

Here's how to have a good show. Come prepared with tons of detailed step by step examples of whatever it is you want to talk about.

If you are plugging a communication tool you have to have actual stories of how it worked in real life. Not a general description with high level stats but real life stories and lots of them. Also stories about when it didn't work. Not just the good stuff.

This show is infotainment. You have to have practical information but you also have to be entertaining. Many people are not informative or entertaining even when a little preparation is all it takes to be passably good.

My live callers are aggressive recruiters who get very cranky when the guest has nothing to say. You will also make me look bad if you are not interesting. Unfortunately, I'm used to that. See the Archive here.

LETTER TO A GUEST: WHAT IS A STORY?

Here's my problem.  No one seems to understand what a story is. They all seem to think that a story is a general statement about some specific event or events.

For instance, "Yes, my candidates get the occasional counter-offer but I warn them ahead of time how to deal with them and they never cause me any problems."

In case you don't realize it, that's not a story. A story tells you the blow-by-blow in one situation so we really know how something happened at a "granular" level. What did you say? What did Bill say? What did he do then?

So, please, please, please come with at least 3 stories. I say 3 because it gives the guest an easy target. Usually they come with none. And this is an hour show so it helps if the guest has prepared something to talk about.

Regards from me.

See also: How To Run a Talk Show

 

Book Better Than Cover

From: Ami Isseroff RIP (edited)

The company I worked for was looking for a good technical writer and Ami answered our ad.

First appearances can be deceptive and none moreso than Ami's.

He was small in stature, wore rumpled clothes and sometimes his speech was unclear because a frail heart left him gasping for air.

All this was forgotten in a few minutes, however, as I was captivated by Ami the person.

In a short while I have started to learn from Ami how to do my job better - and I was an experienced software developer which Ami never was.

Interview Tips of Eddie Gaydos

Based on: Eddie Gaydos: Hiring Secrets (but includes my views)

1. Two people can be on the same rung of the ladder but one is going up and one is coming down.

To gauge a candidate’s potential, don’t just look at her position. Look at what she had to do to get there and where's she's headed.

2. While conducting an interview, ask: “If you wasn’t interviewing with me right now, where would yous be? 

”Would you be at home working on the stuff my business specializes in? Is it, like, your hobby? Or would you be talking to a company in a totally different field.” 

You want someone who has a sincere passion for your industry and your company. You want to hire a fan, not someone who just wants a job.

Unfortunately, fans who can do what you need done and want to work for you are few and far between.

3. Actions speak louder than words, so give the candidate a test project.

4. Dig, dig, dig to get the candidate to tell you about her failures and how she handled them. 

She'll come in with a prepared story about a goof that doesn't make her look bad because all of the career coaches tell her to do that.

But once she is finished with that story ask for another and another and another. If she says there are none you say, "So you've only had 3 things go wrong in your 10 year career?" If she says, "Yes," say, "I don't believe you," and end the interview.

5. Before a candidate meets a number of people in your company, agree among yourselves about the things you are looking for. 

Create a checklist and during the interview take detailed notes about issues that suggest that the candidate would or would not bring what you want.

6. Ask how the candidate manages conflict.

Ask about conflicts they have had with their managers, subordinates and peers. Don't ask for one example; ask for example after example until they run dry.

7. You want someone who wants more than a paycheque.

Look for a candidate who’s deeply interested in the work, a person who has been a lifetime supporter or your brand or industry, an applicant who views his job as a calling instead of just a meal ticket.

Good luck finding that guy, Eddie. "I've always dreamed of being an internal auditor at a cork company. Especially your cork company."

8. Try to discover the candidate’s values, interests and pet peeves. 

What questions are going to tell you that? Eddie doesn't say.

9. His #9 was uninteresting

10. To make sure you don’t hire a “yes person,” ask what they don’t like about your company and what they’d change if they were in charge. And keep asking until they run dry.

 

Accents

This is a comment I left on InterviewIQ

My father is an immigrant. His accent isn’t bad because he married a Canadian and had to speak English-only at home. His relatives didn’t marry Canadians and they mostly sound like Dracula.

And this seems to be the general rule about accents. No one works to change his or her accent. But if you have to speak English at home it will, to some extent fade. But, then, nobody speaks English at home unless they have to.

I have friends from India who only speak English at home when they speak to me. My friend’s wife is smart and energetic but although she came here when she was 17, she sounds like a new immigrant speaking broken English and this has certainly limited her job potential. She’s a data entry clerk in the back office of a bank.

I have recruited many accountants from other countries who complain about requirements for Canadian experience but I have met very few people who recognize that if you sound like a Canadian people will automatically assume that you do have Canadian experience or at least understand the environment.

I used to get lots of emails that addressed me as “My dear”. Does that tell me that this person is going to be easy to communicate with or that he might not understand me?

Look at what the writer said above: “I realised that the incorrect using of some English vocabulary ruined my chances…” “Incorrect using” is itself incorrect.

However, in my experience, no one ever gets ruled out because of a mere accent. Skills always come first. They are the deciding factor. I believe that accent does make an impression and could enhance rapport but I do not believe that it is a major factor in a hiring decision.

Oddly enough, people with strong accents and imperfect comprehension even get hired for jobs that require constant communication like reception. Perhaps because the office requires people who are bilingual.

As for sounding bubbly. I’m more impressed by people who sound energetic than dull. I dislike forced cheer but I want to get the feeling that they are alert and awake.