Page 2 - The Leadership Line: September 2021

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)