Aggressive Interviewer? You Decide
Tim Toterhi
CHRO | Coach | Author helping companies change culture, enhance performance, and optimize talent.
Interviewer: So, you think you have what it takes to lead people here, do ya??What’s your playbook?
Candidate: Well, I think people have gotten weak. So, I like to berate them randomly in public settings…you know, really question their competency and integrity. If they don’t respond, I fire them on the spot. “You can’t build without a backbone,” I always say.
Of course, if someone challenges me too strongly, I bury them in soul-crushing busy-work until they ultimately give up and resign. This allows me to take credit for their efforts while avoiding a mutiny. And for those few who question my methods, but eventually bow to my will, I keep them around by dangling a promotion just outside their grasp. Can’t have too many “yes people”. Know what I mean?
Interviewer: Are you….
Candidate: Kidding?
Interviewer: Yes.
Candidate: So…you’re in the “questioning my methods” camp, are you? [deadpan stare]
Interviewer: Um….?
Candidate: Great, so I’ll expect that offer by close of business. Good talk.
***And now for the serious bit***
We’ve all been there. We’ve all come up against an aggressive personality. But who was the aggressor in this situation? The candidate, the interviewer, both, neither?
Who did you “hear” in the conversation? Who did you picture? What was the person’s age, sex, race, and religion?
Have the image in your mind? Great. That, my dear reader, is your personal bias.?
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If you read the story again, you’ll notice that no physical description of the characters was presented. Anything you saw, heard, or felt was created entirely by you. Now think of your image again. Surprised??
In reality, this albeit ridiculous exchange was part of an acting scene performed by two female college students. It could have just as easily been two retirees or even an actual conversation between two sarcastic co-workers on break at a boring career seminar.
The who and where doesn’t matter. What does is the frequency by which a specific (not-to-be-named) group is assigned the role of villain in the story.?
The point is: If we’re going to check our biases, we need to check them all.
It’s a tough ask. So, what to do while we’re all working on that?
Interviewers – Be kind. Keep your mind and your questions open. Candidates – Be bold. Share the best of who you are and what you’ve done.
Humans have biases. But we don’t have to be controlled by them.
About: Tim Toterhi is not your typical CHRO. He’s an author, career coach, and TEDx speaker who approaches life with a playful smile and an eyebrow up. Learn, Teach, Rinse, Repeat. Other posts include: