Unforgivable.

NEW YORK - Recently I sent a candidate out on an interview, and he was embarrassingly unprepared.  While the sins of low energy and low enthusiasm can (under certain circumstances) be forgiven, ill-preparedness cannot ... especially when I bury my candidates in high-priced company and industry research several days before the interview.

This three minute podcast explains explains why I view the placement process as getting my client pregnant -- and how candidates can get deleted from my database.

CLICK HERE IF YOU DARE.
______________________________________________________________________
Submit Your Resume | Download my vCard | Get My Searches | 97 Job Search Tips

Comments

[Andrew]

It was a bit of a rant, but I have to agree with you. I most recently worked at eBay for five years, which is possibly the most easily researchable company out there, and was at times shocked by how little some of my candidates knew about the business.

I am also a huge stickler about typos on resumes. If you can't get THAT right, how are you going to do when it comes to writing a client letter?

The little things DO make a difference.

[Harry Joiner]

The guy passed all of my sniff tests and then got cocky and chose to wing the interview. We both looked like dorks to the client.

The buck stops with me, but sometimes there's a breach in the clearance process. Rare, but it happens. I bet I have sent out 500 candidates in my lifetime, and the is the first time I've blogged about an incident like this.

[Eric]

I find this whole thing very interesting.

Harry, you are extremely good at vetting both clients and candidates. Something happened.

I seriously doubt a person you vetted and interviewed suddenly became a Bozo. Was the interview environment different than what they expected? Sometimes it can be threatening for strange reasons or strange interviewers.

Having personally gone through the Google interview process, sometimes arcane or bizarre interview questions get asked ,that will just turn a candidate completely OFF.

The lesson learned here I think is for you H-Man.
Something happened here. You need to find out what it was.

A lot of recruiters dont actually ever meet their clients personally. Preparation isnt always about a pile of Hoovers documents. Sometimes the interviewer is just weird.

I'd love to hear a podcast where some forensic exploration took place with this scenario. it may help you prepare candidates in the future, as well as set expectations for both clients and candidates. It may also help you qualify whether you want to take certain clients on in the first place.

Not all business is good.

[Harry Joiner]

I'm vetting them, which is why they get the death penalty on the first offense.

Remember, I don't want "show horses" who simply interview well and get the job. I want authentic A-players, which is why I occasionally look the other way on low energy / enthusiasm. No one can be "on" all the time. However, anyone can be prepared for big interviews when given the coaching and resources several days in advance.

Sometimes a candidate's true colors will only come out in front of the client. It happens.

[retained recruiter]

Harry, I guess my concern is why did it take an interview blowup to identify that the candidate previously deemed appropriate for a face to face is in fact a lazy horse. Who is vetting these nags? Where is the due diligence?

[John Tennant]

With the "Nightmare on Wall Street" happening, it seems illogical to show up for a job interview unprepared. I certainly don't count on job stability. As an observation, traditional retained searches (Russell Reynolds, Stanton Chase, etc) have the partner representing the client in a way that has less commitment to the candidates than your model. (I.e. that's why you were pissed off!) Also, I imagine that the Korn Ferry's of the world have got to feel the imapact of reduced financial services revenue from the Wall Street meltdown.

[Harry Joiner]

You are absolutely right. And any good coach would yank the QB when the QB just didn't have the will to prepare and the will to win. As you might know from my previous posts, I will go out of my way to ensure that my candidates have every conceivable competitive advantage. This often includes access to eliminated candidates, former employees of the client, and world class company and industry research.

But even then, a team of horses can't drag a load very far if one of the hoses is lying down. Solution: Shoot the lazy horse.

[retained recruiter]

Have you ever heard a head coach complain after a big game that his quarterback was woefully unprepared? Rarely. And when you do don't you feel that the coach is a schmuck? I feel your pain but the onus is on you, my brother.