An Interview That I'm Glad I Failed

2 years ago, I was asked to interview for an opportunity where I would be helping a company in the insurance industry understand their recruiting metrics better. Before the interview, they asked me to review some very basic data and create a presentation around it. I spent about 6 hours going over the small set of data wondering what they could be looking for, put together a powerpoint, presented to my now wife multiple times to get my talk track down and felt well prepared as I went to sleep the night before the big day.

The day of the interview, I had my computer prepped at a friends house to limit distractions and got myself in the right frame of mind. When the interview started, we said our hellos and I learned about the background of the three people that I would be interviewing with. When the time came for the presentation, I took about 7 minutes to share my findings and give my recommendation . When the interview ended, the panel just sat there staring at me. I thought my mic wasn't on or the internet was out.

After about 30 seconds of silence, I asked them what they thought of my presentation and they replied with that I provided them with too many reasons a recruiter was succeeding or failing and asked too many follow up questions to gather more information on the limited data that was shared. I let them know that I couldn’t provide a solid recommendation on the very limited data that they were providing. I added, especially if that means that someone's job is on the line.

To give a better background, the information provided was based off a few recruiters and vendors. I was only provided about 3 data points for each recruiter. I told them that I needed a better picture of the skill set of each recruiter, how long they've been with the company/recruiting, how long each vendor was in place, and what training has been offered before I can make a recommendation on the data. They laughed, didn't respond and moved on to the next question.

Being in management since college, I've learned that if I'm going to let someone go or reprimand them, I better have my ducks in a row and know everything I can. I'm happy that I shared my opinion because seeing that they decided to laugh at my question instead of having an open conversation taught me more about the company culture than I ever thought I could learn in a two-hour interview.

The next question asked was, “What podcasts do you listen to on recruiting?” I let them know that I don’t listen to podcasts currently other than ones off tv shows or sports to unwind, but rather have my own recruiting video series, a blog, and even meet with recruiters from various companies, including theirs, around the country to stay on top of recruiting trends. Instead of diving in and asking me who I speak with and how I created that network, they said, “so no podcasts then?” And moved on to the next question.

At that early point in the interview, I began to ask myself, what am I doing here? I got invited to meet with this company this is the how we are going to get to know one another??I got through the rest of the interview by mostly answering the typical situational questions and sharing what I've done to help agents and my peers in the past.

The last question I was asked was, “What’s makes you more qualified for this job than everyone else that’s applied?” I responded by telling them that I don’t know the other applicant's qualifications but I’ll tell you that I’m already doing most of this job for one of your competitors. Also, I’ve stolen a lot people away from you, which is why I was told I'm here today and have watched my peers do it too. I told them that I could teach recruiters to focus on the weaknesses of their competitors and have trained other recruiters on my successful ways to recruit at different companies, including yours by using various social media tools. Then I explained how I manage vendor contracts and work with peers to help them understand the ins/outs of their platform. I finished by letting them know that they won’t have to train me as much as someone coming from outside the industry. If we agree to work together, I’ll be ready to run and take my position to new heights.

No response was given to my answer again. Just stares for 20 seconds followed up by a thank you. I had the opportunity to ask some questions, but kept it very simple. They said their goodbyes and the interview was over. I shut my laptop and I was mad. Mad that I wasted my time. Mad that they didn’t dive deeper and create a conversation regarding my abilities and background. I knew at that point that I wouldn't get the position, but on the off chance I did and I would accept, I knew that I would be able to bring a different view to the company.

2 months later, I finally got a standard, plug in email where I was told that they didn’t think I was a good fit for the job. It made me mad again, but only for a short bit and then I started to laugh and thank my lucky stars I didn’t get it. If that’s a how a conversation was going to go in an interview, I wouldn't want to imagine what it would be like on a day to day basis. I knew something better was coming and all I had to do was wait.?

I wanted to share this story with you to let you know that one day you may be in the same position where a company sees your skillset, content, or hears about you and wants to sit down in order to share an opportunity. In that interview, show them who you are, be proud of what you will bring to the table, and don't view your confidence as a weakness. The interview may not work out and that's okay. You will find the right company one day that respects all of your skills. Keep the faith and know your time and the right opportunity is coming.

One positive note from this interview is that I do listen to several podcasts on recruiting now and am working on creating my own!

Have a great Wednesday LinkedIn!