Inside the hiring room: Market Research Executive, part 2

So how did the interviews go with the Market Research Executive?  You may recall that he was hiring managers and senior managers for market research projects.

He preferred to have a single day of interviewing, rather than multiple rounds, so if the interview with him went well, he would introduce the candidate to additional managers, and the process might take several hours.  If it didn’t go well, it was over in 30 minutes.

He never did find the “perfect” candidate.  There were people who met all the basic qualifications, but no one ever had all of the “nice-to-haves”.  He told me he never had an obvious choice – his hiring decisions always came down to trade-offs.

In addition to skills and experience, he looked for someone who seemed interested, cared about the industry, and showed some passion.  Someone who made good eye contact and was polished, yet genuine.  A candidate who was smart and demonstrated the ability to learn could compensate for a missing bit of industry experience.

Like many hiring managers, he looked for a connection – the cultural fit was important to him, and a good personality was a bonus.  What I found interesting was this: a candidate who was looking for a job because of a not-great current work situation might sway him towards a “hire” decision.  He told me he had been in negative work environments before, and he would feel empathy for someone in this situation.

Obviously, not every hiring manager fits the mold.  I would never recommend that a candidate share that he is unhappy with his current situation.  And even our Executive stressed that he looked for an overall positive attitude.  But he also valued honesty.

Suspected dishonesty was an automatic “no”.  He was surprised during an interview with a very qualified candidate (on paper) when she couldn’t answer his questions.  She “seemed clueless”.  He didn’t know if she was unprepared or if she had “padded” her resume, but he expected detailed answers, and she didn’t even seem to understand basic market research terminology.

Because he has never come across the ideally qualified candidate, the soft skills/intangibles made a real difference in his hiring decisions: the ability to learn, confidence, good personality, good attitude. 

The take-away is PREPARE and go in with a good attitude.  This may be what gives you the edge.