Can Your Company "BLOW" an Interview?
By R Gaines Baty

Has your company ever lost the competition for a great candidate to another competitive offer or to a counter offer from his or her current employer?  If so, there is an excellent chance that your company may have blown the interview. 

Proven, high-performing executives are always difficult to find and attract…no “recession” exists for the top performers.  Competitive offers (for executives who may or may not be actively “looking” for a new job), counter-offers (from current employers wanting them to stay), and turn-downs (by candidates who will only leave current jobs for something much better) are the rule vs. exception.

Why should your company’s leadership worry about such things?  First, let’s examine what’s at stake.  Over time, the shortage of experienced, capable leadership equates to less than optimal company performance.  And hiring the wrong person(s) for important positions can prove catastrophic.  How much in “opportunity costs” will your company lose if the position goes unfilled for six months?  How much revenue might this person generate, or save by doing a great job?    Undoubtedly, top performers make better decisions and generate better results, which further accentuates the importance of effective recruiting practices, and ensuring that you “blow” the fewest interviews possible.

In college athletics, National Championships are won by recruiting the best talent and coaching (managing) that talent to success.  Your company is no different.  Athletes (and executives) are attracted to the best overall “feel”, “fit” for their talents, opportunities for success, professional career ambitions, etc.  Other (and frequently subconscious) decision altering criteria can include variations of powerful emotions such as comfort, ego, fear, etc.  Frequently these are the underlying factors that can tilt a candidate in your favor, or toward your competitor for his or her talents.

When you lose a good candidate to any competitor, you must evaluate the real reasons, and take corrective action immediately in order to reverse the trend.  You can’t always blame or rationalize a “loss” to an inevitable “reason outside our control.”  A candidate will always provide rational, palatable and politically correct reasons for declining or reneging on your offer, but the fact is frequently that the candidate was more excited about (or ‘sold” more effectively by) the competitive suitor.  And it is not always about money. 

Frequently, new executive search clients are surprised by and stumble with our simple question “What are your selling points…why should a person quit a good job and potentially derail a career to come to work here?”

The failure to effectively “sell” candidates, whether due to oversight, inability or unwillingness to do so can put your company at a competitive disadvantage for top talent at any level.  This is truly a “Free Agent” market, and very competitive for the best talent.  Prospective employers/suitors must bring their “A-games” and recruit more effectively to consistently win the war for the best talent. Executives today have multiple options to choose from…competitive job offers, internal job/promotion offers, counteroffers, etc., and frequently will not wait on an indecisive suitor.

So, how might you turn the momentum toward more positive recruiting outcomes, or improve on an already good process?

1. Emphasize, if not dictate, that recruiting and attracting the best people are among your important functions, and your ‘fiduciary obligation,” even in spite of a hectic business climate.

2. Create a positive “candidate experience.”  Treat candidates like prospective customers, and build the foundation for a good personal relationship.  Good (or bad) treatment can reflect on your company for many years and in many ways.  Make it a lasting positive reflection. 

3. Effectively walk the tightrope between EVALUATING the candidate and SELLING that person on your opportunity. Articulate “what’s in it for them?”  Do not over-promise or “sugarcoat”, but don’t under-emphasize the opportunity either.   Discuss the more tangible and rational selling points e.g. challenge, opportunity to fix or build something great, career growth opportunities, great culture/team environment, responsibility, mentoring, equity/upside, location, visibility, exposure, vision, etc., AND appeal to the unexpressed emotional issues (comfort, ego, fear, etc.). 

4. Ensure that the strategic vision is known by the entire evaluation team, and communicated consistently to all executive level candidates.  Most executives place a supreme emphasis upon alignment with this vision, and the ability to contribute to and/or shape it over time. 

5. Identify the candidate’s questions and concerns, and ensure that these concerns are satisfactorily addressed regarding this important career decision.  The operative question is “Why would a top-tier performer quit a good job and come to work for you?”

6. Quickly determine if the person can do the job…don’t lose the best person because you can’t make a timely decision!  Pursue the candidate assertively.  Ensure that you each have an understanding of expectations, constraints, important considerations, etc., and that you offer a “win-win” compensation plan.  Make the candidate’s decision an easy one…easy to say “yes!”

7. Review each candidate win and/or loss, and improve going forward.

R. Gaines Baty is President of R. Gaines Baty Associates, Inc. (est. 1977), a Dallas-based retained executive search firm.  Mr. Baty, who started his career with IBM Corp., is formerly a two-term President of both the Society of Executive Recruiting Consultants (SERC) and the Dallas Independent Recruiters Group (IRG), and is a well-known author, trainer and practitioner in executive team building, executive evaluation, executive search and career management issues.  Mr. Baty can be reached at gbaty@rgba.com. 
 

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