Ramblings Only

Today I had to interview someone internal for my team. This is the first time I am interviewiing someone for this team. Very different expectations, plus my interview was very fresh in my head. I was expected to rate him on his behavior and communication. Having attended several interviews in my life, feeling depressed and suicidal and what not, also having seen my brother go through something similar all over again twice, here are my findings from this side of the table.

- We want to hire the person coming in for interview. Very much. We try to see how he can fit in.
- We are as expectant and probably nervous of the interview as the interviewee.
- If there is no fit, it does not mean the person is bad or incapable. Oh god, how true this is! There is just no fit. His skills do not match the requirement.
- We look for confident candidates. Genuine candidates, one that doesnt spin the yarn just for the sake of talking
- We want the candidate to be honestly interested in the role. We look for general traits like career aspirations, responsibility, proactiveness, team work,  going above and beyond.

This person is in the redeployment pool. Sounded desperate. I felt kinda sorry for him. He has a lot of experience, more than me. The fit is amazing. But he didnt sound very driven. He wants to continue doing this stuff. When I asked how will he handle confrontation he said he will leave that to his boss. Tch tch. Wrong answer in my book.

He looked old, like grey hair on the sides and all. I was very confident. I was honest. I didnt have to pretend. Yes I am fairly new in this role, but I have a lot to offer, and my career aspirations are different from his. It was amazing how I handled myself. Pat on the back. ;--)

Just because he is looking for a job and I am interviewing him doesnt necessarily put me above him in terms of abilities. I used to think this way. He is just in a bad place right now. It is by no means a reflection of his abilities.

A person should take risks. Calculated risks. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesnt. IF it works out, enjoy the benefits, if it doesnt, pick yourself up, dust, gather learnings and move along. Dont NOT take risks. You are missing out.

But DREAM, dream BIG, dont say I just need a job and wash over. Say something, be honest something that will make the interviewer remember you. Be DIFFERENT. What distinguishes you from the other candidates?  What is that special skill that you bring to the table? Everyone with so many years of experience has the technical so called hard skills. In my books it is with the soft skills that you can show your uniqueness. If you dont have one, find it. Like right now. Every person is unique, find it and make it your brand. And then sell it.

Incidentally, I had an impromptu lunch with someone in a group I might be eventually interested in moving into. Pah, he literally sold the job to me, made me feel totally uncomfortable. Like "treat these conversations as pseudo interviews" Gosh I was hoping for a friend in this case, since I happen to work with him closely. The next step I am not sure if I am ready yet, heck I know for sure I am not ready from the way today's conversation went. I still have a lot to learn here. Dilemmas, decisions, opportunities.

I need to start preparing for the next stage. May be I should read my own post again. :--P

So both sides of the tables on the same day. So life goes.