This week I did a hiring interview for a company, and their hiring process is quite stringent.
Before even talking to the candidate, they ask them to fill out an application form. The form has to be hand written. You learn a lot about a person this way. Whether or not they can spell, whether they will fill the form out properly, what their handwriting looks like and so on.
The person has to answer quite a lot of questions about themselves and their past places of employment.
Then they get a screening interview, usually done over the phone or Zoom in about 10 minutes.
Then they fill out a personality assessment. (If you’ve never done one, you can try my free DISC assessment here with an accompanying download explaining your scores): https://www.professionalleadershipinstitute.com/disc-personalities-assessment/
If that shows they are a basic fit, they get a tandem (two people doing the interview) in-person interview, and if that works, another couple more focused interviews.
By the time they get to me, they’re pretty thoroughly vetted. And then I interview them. Reference checks are still to come.
I always explain that we do use this process because we have such an awesome culture and it’s a privilege to be part of it for the winning candidate. We turn down many people.
So I asked this person, “How did you feel about the process so far?”
What would you say if this were you? Would you be frustrated if you were the candidate?
This person said, “The people I’ve told in my industry are blown away by this process. Most of them were hired (or not) after a 20 minute interview. I’ve learned that I really want this job.”
Here’s the lesson friends:
People want that which is difficult to obtain.
People chase that which eludes them.
If you’re selling something – a job or a product or a service – and you have unlimited supplies and you’re available any time day or night, people don’t want it or you.
They want those things that are special and hard to find.
This applies to:
- Sales
- Dating
- Job search
To name three.
So don’t sell yourself short. Remember, YOU are the prize. THEY are lucky if they get the chance to work for you. THEY are the lucky ones if they get to use your services. Going on a date with you is a prize! (Unless you’re already married of course. Then you’re a boat anchor, so don’t do that!)
The first sale is to yourself. If you believe you are the prize, you’re right. If you believe you aren’t, you’re also right.
If you enjoyed this tip, here are some others you might like too:
- Master hiring tactics they didn’t teach you at Harvard Business School https://www.professionalleadershipinstitute.com/resources/master-hiring-tactics-they-didnt-teach-you-at-harvard-business-school/
- SWAT selling https://www.professionalleadershipinstitute.com/tips/s-w-a-t-selling/
- The 5 F’s of hiring https://www.professionalleadershipinstitute.com/tips/the-5-fs-of-hiring/
- How to do a hiring screen interview https://www.professionalleadershipinstitute.com/tips/how-to-do-a-hiring-screen-interview/
