Page 2 - The Leadership Line: September 2021
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Leadership Lesson: Interview Process




                                     Have you ever found yourself seeking to fill a position and thought, “I’ll know
                                     the right candidate when I meet him,” or “We just didn’t click”?  Many employers
                                     hire people they think will be a “good fit” with their company culture, but things
                                     can go wrong when hiring managers define culture fit in terms of personality
                                     traits. It’s easy to favor certain job candidates because they “are friendly,” “have
                                     a good attitude,”  or they went to the same school as you. It’s natural to gravitate
                                     toward someone you would like to grab a drink with or go out to dinner with, but
                                     when you hire the people you solely relate to, you end up with a workforce where
                                     everyone looks and thinks alike. Instead, your focus should be, “Who can I hire to
                                     help the team be more creative” or “Who would look at a problem from a different
                                     angle the current team hasn’t thought of.” You want to reap the rewards of a diverse
                                     team. To do that, you need to dig deeper to determine if applicants are in sync
                                     with fundamental elements of MIL’s culture. For example, is the applicant excited
                                     by MIL’s commitment to customer service?





        The interview process should capture a multifaceted
        view of the candidate. Candidate evaluation should
        be based on two key factors: 1) what people can do
        and 2) how they will go about doing it. The “what”
        component is usually found on the candidate’s resume.
        What are their skills?  What have they accomplished
        in their past positions?  What skills can you expect to
        translate to a position with MIL?


        The “how” is best assessed by determining how well     from team to team based on the team’s function, but
        this candidate will fit with the company culture. This fit   certain pillars of our culture should be vetted during
        assessment considers a candidate’s attitude, motivation,   the interview (ex. customer service). At MIL, we want
        values, and whether he or she is aligned with our      to ensure team members share our enthusiasm about
        culture. For example, will this candidate mesh with    creating lasting relationships with our customers by
        your team in a cooperative or competitive way?  If     becoming integrated members of our clients’ team. Ask
        your team’s strategy is to reduce risk, will the candidate   questions that help uncover a candidate’s dedication to
        support that or will she make decisions outside of your   delighting the customer and be open to new ideas and
        risk tolerance?  Will this candidate bring another point   opinions unlike your own.
        of view to the table in a collaborative manner that
        would strengthen your project analysis?  The style and   (Main ideas gathered from SHRM Article: Does Hiring for
        approach required to be successful may vary slightly   ‘Culture Fit’ Perpetuate Bias? By Mel Hennigan and Lindsay
                                                               Evans, October 31, 2018)
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