How 'Kickoff Modules' Can Stop Bad Interview Behaviors Before They Start

Ever had a candidate who spun every negative into a positive? Every question about a mistake or weakness turns into another story of how amazing this person is?

Ever had a candidate who struggled to get to the point? You ask a simple first question, and the candidate runs off on a 10-minute tangent or digression?

It happens ALL. THE. TIME. Even strong candidates will “spin” or ramble from time to time — due to nerves or because prior interviewers enabled these behaviors.

We have lots of techniques for handling these issues, but there’s one tactic that is especially effective with high-performing candidates, the ones where a simple case of nerves (or a lack of guidance in prior interviews) is the primary root cause of the spinning or rambling.

We call them “kickoff modules.”

They are little scripts that you tuck into the kickoff of your interview. They essentially communicate your expectations before the candidate has exhibited the bad behavior.

Here’s the overall flow of your kickoff, to show you where you can tuck it in:

1. Small talk (warm it up, of course!).

2. Set the agenda (take charge of the conversation, let them know that you have a set of questions to ask and that you’ll leave time for their questions at the end).

3. Give a quick intro of yourself and your role (but don’t burn too much time).

4. Then, tuck in your favorite spin-buster or ramble-stopper module from the list below.

4 Useful Kickoff Modules

Spin-buster No. 1: “Culture of Growth” 

“You’ll notice a fair number of questions about mistakes, missed opportunities, and development areas in your past. We have a strong culture of learning and growth here, and a big part of that involves being open about the bad as well as the good.”

Spin-buster No. 2: “Reference Reminder” 

“As we explore some of your prior career experiences, we will be talking about some of the people you’ve worked with along the way. I may ask for names and spellings for future follow-ups, just so you’re aware. We won’t be reaching out to these folks without your permission. At this point, we would just love to know who is who.”

Ramble-stopper No. 1: “Headliner”

“I have so many things I want to cover with you in this short time together. If it works for you, let’s hit the ‘big headlines’ on a given story first, and then we can dive into the details where it makes sense to do so. Does that work for you?”

Ramble-stopper No. 2: “Permission to Nudge” 

“I’m excited to learn more about you — I’m hoping we can cover a lot of ground. Would it be OK with you if I jump in or nudge the conversation along from time to time to make sure we hear your full story?”

Not only do these modules make for more efficient and honest discussions, they also give candidates comfort. Candidates want to know what you expect from them — your transparency will be refreshing.

This post was originally published on LinkedIn.

Jordan Burton has 15 years of experience as an executive assessor and interviewing trainer, working with top VC/PE investors and high-growth startups to help them hire the best of the best. He has trained over 3,000 executives and investors on hiring and interviewing skills. He leads Talgo’s business development initiatives, managing relationships with Sequoia Capital, TH Lee, Palantir, Chainlink Labs, and over 50 venture-backed startups.

*Image by Insta_photos on Adobe Stock.