Sometimes thoughts for blog posts hit me at the most random times. The inspiration for this post hit me at about 4:30am when I woke up from a dream revolving around the overarching concept of interviewing. In my mid-sleep stupor it donned on me that the overall process of apply and interviewing for jobs is a lot like NCAA basketball tournament - March Madness.
If you look at each step of the process as a game within the tournament you can begin to see how this bracket might line up.
The Field of 64ish (thank you play-in games)
Much like a teams regular season resume, your resume - and meeting minimum qualifications for the position - get you into "The Big Dance."
The Second Round (32 and counting)
So you made the cut. Your "resume" got you a high enough seed that you were able to make it through the first round. Now you are onto the phone interview for the round of 32.
Sweet 16
The folks in the selection committee thought your resume was good, and your phone interview impressed enough that you made it along to a 2nd round interview. The candidate pool is about a 1/4 of what it started with and your hard work is starting to pay off.
Elite 8
This is where the tournament hits the grind. It's been a long process thus far and now you must clear your reference checks. Make sure you have the right strategy for this game to ensure a spot in the Final 4.
Final 4
Taking the tournament game-by-game you made it through to the on-campus interview. This portion of tournament is important, but it's not the end all be all. You made it this far because you were able to win each of the previous rounds. Much like the real Final 4 you are going to have to win a couple of games to come out on top. Treat each part of this process (meals, meetings with different stakeholders, contact with your campus host, etc.) like they are their own separate games.
NATIONAL CHAMP
You did it - you've managed to navigate each round of the tournament and were hired for the position, you are the National Champ. You were literally able to survive and advance, just like our outstanding female and male student-athletes have been doing for the past month.
If you want proof that the process is all about winning each game and moving on to the next, I'll use the University of Arizona men's team as the example. The UA was able to scrape through their first two round games to make it to the Sweet 16. In that game versus Duke they put everything on the floor, winning by 16 points. The next foe they faced, UConn, came out on top in their Elite 8 match-up by one point. The UA wasn't able to carry over two points from their Sweet 16 matchup to cover the distance against UConn.
So what are you doing to survive and advance in your search process? The best candidates are the ones who know how to look at each game within the tournament and do the things they need to do to focus on that game, and that game only.
Showing posts with label interviewing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interviewing. Show all posts
Monday, April 4, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Hey Coach: What's your interview question lineup
As we begin to go down the path of "search season" I thought it would be fitting to share my thoughts around the "perfect" interview you. Now keep in mind, this idea of perfect is purely in my head and means nothing, but I thought I'd take the time to share with my friends and colleagues as they start going down the path of hiring new student, grad and pro staff.
For those that know me, they know that I love analogies. As I work with a bank of questions for an interview I liken it to putting together your batting lineup for game 7 of the world series. So allow me to share with you my thoughts on the rules of putting together your lineup and share the analogy associated with asking questions.
*for this analogy please assume that game 7 will be played in an American League and therefore we will be employing the concept of the Designated Hitter (DH).
Rule: You must evaluate who your opponent is and select the best players given this scenario. This includes the pitcher you will be facing, the layout of the ballpark, who's been in the zone, etc.
Analogy: You must pick the best questions given the scenario. Evaluate what level you are interviewing (and the level applicants are expected to be at), what audience will be asking the question, and the values placed on the position by the organization/institution.
Rule: Always have the speedy, consistent hitter leading off - sets the tone for the entire game.
Analogy: Always lead off with a quick, easy and consistent question. Sets the tone for the interview and allows the candidate to get warmed up and get some good mojo on base.
Rule: #2 and #3 in the line-up need to be people who can make contact, move the lead-off around to scoring position and get on-base to set the stage for the clean-up hitter. Your #3 hitter will most likely be your DH and is there for their sure bat.
Analogy: Your next couple of questions need to be good enough to assess what the candidate is bringing to the table and give the candidate a chance to get a feel of the interview. Chances are the candidate wants to have the bases loaded when they hit the ball out of the park.
Rule: Big league ball clubs spend big league money on their #4 hitter. Batting clean-up is the ultimate spot in the lineup. Coming up with the bases loaded is where the #4 hitter earns their keep.
Analogy: Put your most valuable, big money question near the middle of your lineup. That's question varies depending on the position and audience but it's the question that's the cornerstone of what is valued for the position sought. This is also when the candidate is most likely at their peak performance and in the zone and ready to unleash the big stick. Also, if they loaded the bases with previous answers they can score a grand slam with the interview committee.
Rule: The game is not won after the cleanup hitter clears the bases. Games are won and lost with strong hitting in the five to eight slot (second cleanup). The #5 hitter needs to have some of the qualities of the #4 in case the cleanup hitter misses the mark, but has to be versatile enough to get on base when needed. The #6-#8 batters all bring unique characteristics and are slotted in the batting lineup most likely for what they bring to the field defensively.
Analogy: Your latter questions need to be solid enough to assess your candidates experiences and skills. Remember that as the interview wears on the committee begins to tune out, whether they want to or not, the candidate, so questions later in the interview need to give the chance for the candidate to shine while still assess what the candidate offers.
Rule: The last batter should not be considered your least effective batter. They need to be crafty enough to get on base however they can. Remember who is up to bat next, it's your surefire lead-off hitter. Having your #9 on base sets up a good chance for your leadoff to move them right around in scoring position and it starts all over again.
Analogy: Your last question needs to be something that allows the candidate to end on the strong note as well as give the committee the chance to be able to connect all the dots from the last question all the way back around to the leadoff question.
For those that know me, they know that I love analogies. As I work with a bank of questions for an interview I liken it to putting together your batting lineup for game 7 of the world series. So allow me to share with you my thoughts on the rules of putting together your lineup and share the analogy associated with asking questions.
*for this analogy please assume that game 7 will be played in an American League and therefore we will be employing the concept of the Designated Hitter (DH).
Rule: You must evaluate who your opponent is and select the best players given this scenario. This includes the pitcher you will be facing, the layout of the ballpark, who's been in the zone, etc.
Analogy: You must pick the best questions given the scenario. Evaluate what level you are interviewing (and the level applicants are expected to be at), what audience will be asking the question, and the values placed on the position by the organization/institution.
Rule: Always have the speedy, consistent hitter leading off - sets the tone for the entire game.
Analogy: Always lead off with a quick, easy and consistent question. Sets the tone for the interview and allows the candidate to get warmed up and get some good mojo on base.
Rule: #2 and #3 in the line-up need to be people who can make contact, move the lead-off around to scoring position and get on-base to set the stage for the clean-up hitter. Your #3 hitter will most likely be your DH and is there for their sure bat.
Analogy: Your next couple of questions need to be good enough to assess what the candidate is bringing to the table and give the candidate a chance to get a feel of the interview. Chances are the candidate wants to have the bases loaded when they hit the ball out of the park.
Rule: Big league ball clubs spend big league money on their #4 hitter. Batting clean-up is the ultimate spot in the lineup. Coming up with the bases loaded is where the #4 hitter earns their keep.
Analogy: Put your most valuable, big money question near the middle of your lineup. That's question varies depending on the position and audience but it's the question that's the cornerstone of what is valued for the position sought. This is also when the candidate is most likely at their peak performance and in the zone and ready to unleash the big stick. Also, if they loaded the bases with previous answers they can score a grand slam with the interview committee.
Rule: The game is not won after the cleanup hitter clears the bases. Games are won and lost with strong hitting in the five to eight slot (second cleanup). The #5 hitter needs to have some of the qualities of the #4 in case the cleanup hitter misses the mark, but has to be versatile enough to get on base when needed. The #6-#8 batters all bring unique characteristics and are slotted in the batting lineup most likely for what they bring to the field defensively.
Analogy: Your latter questions need to be solid enough to assess your candidates experiences and skills. Remember that as the interview wears on the committee begins to tune out, whether they want to or not, the candidate, so questions later in the interview need to give the chance for the candidate to shine while still assess what the candidate offers.
Rule: The last batter should not be considered your least effective batter. They need to be crafty enough to get on base however they can. Remember who is up to bat next, it's your surefire lead-off hitter. Having your #9 on base sets up a good chance for your leadoff to move them right around in scoring position and it starts all over again.
Analogy: Your last question needs to be something that allows the candidate to end on the strong note as well as give the committee the chance to be able to connect all the dots from the last question all the way back around to the leadoff question.
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