No smart executive can afford to go into an interview without knowing what to expect--what kinds of interviews are popular today, what paces he or she will be put through, what is entailed in the interview process itself. And although this obviously varies from company to company, there are fads in interviewing as there are in anything else. Stress was in a few years ago; now it's so out that an executive should think twice about going to work for any interviewer who subjects him to the kind of stress games that were popular in the recent past. There are also styles and trends in interviewing, and these change every few years.
Human Resources Departments Are Red-Hot
The major trend in interviewing in the past ten years is the increased amount of power that human resources departments wield. For years, personnel interviews were reserved for the clerical jobs and for some low-management positions. Executives were interviewed by other executives, and one of the perks of having achieved a certain amount of status was that no one would dream of subjecting you to an interview with the personnel department. Today, though, even at the top levels of hiring--CEOs and division managers--the interviewing process often begins with the personnel department, better known these days as human resources or organization development. And make no mistake about it; the executives who run these departments have clout. One executive recruiter, speaking rather wistfully of the days when he, too, bypassed personnel to work directly with CEOs and boards of directors, noted, "Where human resources are involved in the hiring process, they pass very important judgments."
The Human Resources Interview
Now that human resources have begun to flex some real muscle, you need to know what to expect so that you're prepared for the initial interview.
Always try to find out whether you're up against a strong human resources department before you go into an interview. If you are, the interview will probably be conducted by a high-ranking executive-perhaps even by the top person in the human resources department-and he or she will probably have direct access to the CEO or possibly even the board of directors, depending upon the level of the search. There are no industry guidelines about who has a strong human resources department and who doesn't; you have to use your contacts to find out what the situation is in each individual case. One executive recruiter noted: "RCA, for example, is well known as a strong human resources company. IBM is strong, too. In banking, human resources departments are of about average strength. The older, more established industrial companies tend to have the best human resources departments. Some of the high-tech companies have good human resources departments, but a lot don't have any. Many of the smaller firms rely on professional search firms, but the bigger firms, such as IBM, DEC, or Data General, have their own data banks on individuals, and they often do all their own searches except at the very top levels, as, for example, when they're looking for a CEO, or when they need an unusual amount of confidentiality. The fact that so many companies maintain their own data banks also gives the human resources departments extra strength these days."
Most recruiters interviewed for this book cited IBM, DEC, RCA, and Data General as companies having strong human resources departments, but they are by no means the only companies that are strong in this area. You'll need to check up on each company before you go into the interview.
When you must go through a human resources interview, make the most of it. Often, the human resources department interviewer can supply you with important background information that you can use during your interview with the line executive. The human resources executive can answer questions about the company's culture, history, philosophy, and general background. Human resources people make it their business to know about these things, and although you should realize you will be getting the party line, it's still useful information.
Don't count on the human resources interviewer for much more than background information. He or she is not the person to rely on for accurate information about the job. Job functions and responsibilities are best discussed with the line executive. During the human resources interview, concentrate on making a good first impression so you'll be passed on to the executive who can fill you in on the job--and give it to you.
Beware of the traps that can be set for you in human resources. Many companies have begun to realize the true potential of the human resources department to evaluate personalities and now use these departments to test job candidates, sometimes in rather unorthodox ways. A recruiter described the situation at one established high-tech company this way: "The personnel person is even a non-personnel person, and a very young person, and a female person. A man who did not really understand what was going on could think he was being interviewed by a clerk. If he didn't read this situation right, he could be dead in two minutes."
One Fortune 500 company leaves a male candidate alone in a room with an attractive woman, who chats with him somewhat seductively and offers him coffee. Unbeknownst to the candidate is the fact that he is being videotaped, and that his reactions to the woman and the situation she presents will be "interpreted" later on by those who interview him more officially.
In another instance, a job candidate meets first with the human resources person and then is accompanied by that person on the round of interviews that have been scheduled for him. The person sits in on all the interviews primarily to verify that the candidate is telling each line executive the same things about his skills and experience.
See the following articles for more information:
- How to Start on the Right Foot in Your New Job
- What Are the Sources to Find the Information You Need
- The Background of Application Process
- How to Network and Take an Information Interview
