Most humans come with five
built-in apps (smell, touch, taste, sight
and hearing). The sixth sense deals with one’s sense of balance. There is, however, one more sense we tend to
ignore—the seventh sense.
This sense goes by various
nomenclatures, such as one’s gut feeling or instinct, perception, hunch,
psyche, mother wit, and judgment. Whatever term you favor, this primal instinct
will impact the executive-level interviewing decisions.
We do things on multiple levels,
some of which may not be in our best interest. These account for many get
themselves into interviewing trouble. Some candidates proceed down an illogical
path, relying heavily on lying, dumb luck or happenstance.
In the real business world,
serious employers do not rely on the dumb-luck method. Those that do, get
themselves in difficulty. They encounter high management turnover, a
disgruntled workforce, low morale and/or low productivity, and other oh-shit
situations.
To avoid these pejoratives, most employers
take extraordinary precautions. The prescreening process eliminates those with
obvious defects. Even those who may be qualified receive the fast shuffle due
to quirky behaviors or unintentional faux
pas.
Without belaboring the list of interviewing
abnormalities, employers continue to rely on their seventh sense in making
final hiring decisions—especially for upper management. They refer to this as judgment calls. The hiring team relies
on their collective instincts in reaching a decision.
One way to explain the process is
to approach the situation from the employer’s perspective. Let us arbitrarily
begin with an executive position paying $250,000 or thereabouts. As someone on
the final decision making team, you have to reach closure. The process has come
down to three finalists.
All the candidates are qualified
in terms of experience, education and likeability. All passed background
checks. Once each individual’s tangible skillsets have been assessed and
evaluated, what will you call upon to make your final decision? Which candidate
will receive your acquiescence?
Inevitably, your decision comes
down to the individual who was the most candid, straightforward and sincere. How
does one assess those traits? Will you listen to your instincts? Keep in mind, lest
you risk having your own judgment drawn into question, wasting a quarter mill could
come with repercussions.
Those who conduct interviews for
serious positions do not like being played. The slightest hint an executive
candidate might be attempting to pull a fast one, usually backfires.
Classic example: You casually ask
each candidate, “Oh, by the way, who prepared your résumé?”
Your seventh sense kicks in when
two of the candidates lean forward, look you squarely in the eye and says, “I
did. Why do you ask?”
Copyrighted © 2014 by Robert James.