Gables Search Group’s Post

Beware the love bombers. They’re the hiring managers who shower job candidates with adoration and attention during the hiring process, only to lowball you when they make an offer, or execute another sort of bait and switch. The love bomber glosses over the negative aspects of a role. They make the culture of the company sound like a perfect fit for you, even when it’s not. Or they act utterly enthusiast about your odds of landing it, then never call you again. A recent survey by Greenhouse found that more than half of job seekers feel they’ve been love bombed during the interview process. Often, they’ve then been ghosted. Working with a recruiter like myself and those of us at MS Capital is one way to ensure you will hear back after an interview. But I cannot promise how the interview itself will go. It’s always a good idea to be aware of how an interviewer might present differently than they actually are.

Beware the love bombers. They’re the hiring managers who shower job candidates with adoration and attention during the hiring process, only to lowball you when they make an offer or execute another sort of bait and switch. The love bomber glosses over the negative aspects of a role. They make the company culture sound like a perfect fit for you, even when it’s not. Or they act enthusiastic about your chances of landing the job, then never call you again. A recent survey by Greenhouse found that more than half of job seekers feel they’ve been love bombed during the interview process. Often, they’ve then been ghosted. Working with a recruiter like myself and those at Benskin & Hott Talent Partners is one way to ensure you will hear back after an interview. However, I cannot promise how the interview itself will go. It’s always a good idea to be aware of how an interviewer might present differently than they actually are.

What is the best way to research company and culture?   1. Jump on LinkedIn and get a good understanding of who is in the team. 2. Reach out to previous employees of the business find out about the culture. 3. During the interview process, if possible, meet the team in a casual setting, ideally the team you will be working with.   The main goal is to have as many conversations as you possible. Simply just looking at the company website and LinkedIn company profile only really goes so far. It's a start, however it won't give you the full picture. Nothing surpasses actually talking to human beings. 

In light of April Fools, let's talk about times you've felt fooled during the interview process. This prompt reminds me of a scary story a friend shared: My friend was looking for a company with a great culture, she cared deeply about mission-driven work, and she wanted to work somewhere she could work her way up. She was reached out to by a recruiter and was sold on the mission of the company, the drive of the team, and the excitement of being at an early-stage company. However, when my friend started, she realized there was very little in place, hardly any run rate to get through the year, and a focus way more on profits than mission! Her manager was also not the person she initially interviewed with and this was changed 2 weeks into the job. Woof. What are some of your vetting techniques or questions to help avoid these situations during the interview process? Here are some tips I've learned along the way: ✨ Reach out to 2-3 random people on LinkedIn who work at the company and ask them about the culture. ✨The way you're treated in the interview process matters. Be mindful of feedback, follow ups, and how the process is run. Take this into consideration!  ✨Ask the hard-hitting questions. Ask about the hardest parts about working at the company, what someone would change if they could wave a magic wand, and how happy everyone is at the company on a scale of 1-10. Remember, the recruiting process *is* sales and that’s a good thing overall! It's your chance to really vet a company and make sure it's a good fit.

Dear hiring managers, Don't be afraid to let the interviewee know they killed it, whether just one answer or the entire interview. It'll serve multiple purposes: 1. You'll learn more about the candidate and their thinking. That encouragement will let the candidates open up, so you'll get a better idea if they're a fit for you and the role. 2. It shows off your culture. Everybody talks about their company culture, but it's almost impossible to be sure a company is sticking to those flowery bullet points on its about page. 3. A touch of kindness goes a long way. Nobody enjoys the interview process. A small token of encouragement can be the thing that gets the candidate through their day, whether you hire them or not. I had an interview yesterday where the hiring manager gave me that feedback multiple times before ending the conversation with "You're a great candidate!" And let me tell you, I could feel myself inflate. I generally don't lack confidence because I have experience, but the grinding nature of job-hunting can wear on anyone. Be a human. Be kind.

During the interview process, you only get a few chances to decide if there’s a culture fit. As much as they’re interviewing YOU, you’re interviewing THEM. I know the pressure of wanting to appear perfect — nail every question, draw a connection with your interviewer, leave them wanting more — but just be you. During one of my interviews with Kristin Aerts Bourgoin, I remember being nervous about my new puppies being in the room with me. It felt like a lose-lose situation — keep them in the room with the distraction, or put them in the cage and hear them bark. I decided to keep them in the room and crossed my fingers (and toes) they’d be quiet. Of course, as puppies do, they came up to my chair and started whining — wanting up. :: Sigh :: I apologized and explained we had two puppies under the age of 6 months, and they were a little wild. Kristin’s response went a little something like… “Puppies! Let me see those puppies!” Immediately I felt relieved. I knew in that moment she was down-to-earth and I felt I was in a safe environment. The rest of the interview I felt so much more laid back and like I was talking to a friend. An interview doesn’t have to be scary. A great interviewer will leave you excited about the opportunity ahead. Don’t sleep on the interview process. It’s one of the few peeks you get behind the curtain before you’d join the team. Make it count. #jobsearch #interview #teamculture

What does my wife dumping me have to do with the interview process? Anyone that's worked with us knows how incredibly thorough we are on the front-end making sure the foundational elements align (core values, long-term goals/growth trajectory, top-grading skills & experience, etc.)... Why? Because for the most sought-after Talent & Companies, interest levels build over time. It's the reason we're a huge proponent of at least a 3-step interview process (for Direct-Hire roles). If a Company doesn't need/offer what a Candide brings/is looking for...Then there's no use in delaying the inevitable... BUT if it does, then give yourself the time to see it through. I can't tell you how often a candidate that's unhappy in their current role tells Mike Newton & team "I'm not 100% sure I'd accept this position if they offered it to me" AT THE BEGINNING OF THE INTERVIEW PROCESS. And our response is typically something like "Well yeah, you haven't even met their leadership team (and oh yeah, you don't have an offer yet lol)...So one step at a time." Anyways, here's the true story of Caroline dumping me. Yes, it's click-bait...But the story of what happened after proves my point 😂 Exclusent, Inc. -

Don't forget to ask these three questions at your next interview... ...and figure out a great company vs a not so great one. How will you measure success in the role? 🚩 A bad answer will give a vague direction. ✅ A great answer will include clear goals, KPIs and timelines. What sort of person thrives at this company? 🚩 A bad answer will focus on personality traits. ✅ A great answer will focus on value alignment. What’s unique about your company culture? 🚩 A bad answer will only focus on perks. ✅ A great answer will highlight how they invest in supporting employees to achieve their best work. Any more killer questions?

Any time I've done an interview, I always fond of the conversations that stem from when I get asked some variation of this question: "How do you handle disagreements when working as part of a team? Provide an example." Said another way... "Tell me about a time you disagreed with your team on the chosen solution to a problem. What was the context? What was the point of disagreement? Who “won” and what was the outcome? Now give me an example of a time the other side “won”." I appreciate that questions like these reframe conflict and force you to reflect on your method of navigating team conflict. It also tells you a lot about how self-aware the interviewee is, how they handle "winning" an argument, and how they handle "losing" an argument. Unfortunately, in my memory, it seems this question doesn't pop up as much as I expect it might. Regardless, there are plenty more great interview questions out there that help you learn about applicants and potential employees. What are some of your favorites? Least favorites? Drop them in a comment below and share why!

When in an interview there are times when the interviewer asks in the end; "if you have any questions from us?". Most of the times an interview is held one way although many people don't understand that it's a two way process, Feel free to ask these questions from the interviewer to further bolden up and stand out of the crowd. -What are the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the team right now? - How would you describe the company culture? -What are the company's goals for the next year? -What are some of the company's recent successes? -What are some of the company's values? - How does the company support work-life balance? - What are the opportunities for growth and development in this role? - What are the next steps in the interview process?