During the Interview Process- Treat Everyone As A Decision Maker
Most interview processes end with a trip to Corporate headquarters. This is especially true with startup companies, as there is usually a ” consensus hire.” When a candidate goes into the company headquarters there will generally be a 3-5 person interview itinerary where H/R, Product Managers, Operations Managers, VP of Sales and possibly the CEO of the company will be part of the process. And while it is important to impress all of those decision makers, it is also vitally important to impress the people whom you will NOT be interviewing; The Receptionist, Administrative Assistants, Back Room Personnel, etc. Believe it or not they will have a hand in the decision process, and if you dismiss any of these people, you may risk losing this job. In a small company, everybody’s input is valuable- primarily to determine if the candidate fits into the company culture. So watch what you say and how you act with EVERYONE.
Don’t do what a candidate of mine did during a final interview with US Surgical many years ago.
He went to the company headquarters, had a great round of morning interviews, was a shoo-in to land his first medical sales job, and was going to go to lunch with the VP of Sales. Before leaving, the VP had to make a phone call. As my candidate was waiting in the foyer, he remarked to the Receptionist that “when he comes out for training in a few weeks, that he and the Receptionist should go out for dinner.” The Receptionist just smiled and said, “Absolutely.”
About an hour later, I received a phone call from the VP who said that he was sending my candidate home.
You see, the Receptionist was the VP’s wife.
Interview, VP Candidate, Interview Process, Company Headquarters, Administrative Assistant,
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