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I once interviewed a person who, throughout the entire interview, informed me in no uncertain terms that not hiring him/her would be a huge mistake, and that I would never find another candidate who was as good. That was a first for me.
No, they didn't get the job. I didn't feel bad about it.
Yes, we found someone who worked out just fine.
No, it certainly doesn't feel great. If I could, I would hire every qualified person, but the money is never there to do that.
I try to keep emotion out of hiring decisions. I hire people who are qualified to do the job. This is a combination of experience, personality, attitude and ability to learn. I make these decisions based on inadequate information, and I am sometimes wrong.
Often there are many qualified applicants and I can only hire one. I have to turn others down, which I do via our HR software which sends out generic rejection emails.
It is not a power or ego trip, and I understand that I am dealing with people's lives and well-being. I hire and fire as carefully and with as much deliberation as possible, with the goal of making my workplace a success.
For some it is a power/ego trip. One interview I had the two clowns on the other side of the conference table whispered and chuckled several times between themselves whilst I was answering their questions.
Why would it feel good? The vast majority of people who are interviewed are not hired. It just is. It is business. Sometimes you are happy to get a single viable candidate, while other times you could hire just about anyone you interviewed and probably do alright, but you only have one vacancy, so a bunch of potentially good candidates get told "no thanks."
Agreed. It got to the point where I knew I made it through the interview or could tell from
the start, some sort of unprovable age-discrimination (or hearing) will come up and I'll never be able to prove it.
When you cannot hear well and you try to get through an interview, it's tough. Linkedin said don't tell you will need special accommodations. When you're over 45ish or in your 50s and know you were over-qualified for a position, it's maddening. When you know you blew the interview for something you said (I did that once on purpose when someone wanted to tie me to being on call 24/7), then you move on and I was fine.
It feels like a neutral experience of being on a fact-finding mission in most cases, except when someone is unemployed or comes across as desperate, and then it's a painful experience. I have such empathy for people in a difficult situation. I've been there myself.
I'm curious why you think it would feel good. It isn't a matter of power it's a matter of interviewing to find the person who has the skills and personality to fit in and contribute. You're going to make one person very happy while making several unhappy. Sometimes the unhappy ones weigh on your mind because you think about how badly they may need a job. But if someone is not the best candidate, you have to brace yourself and do what's best for the team.
I knew a manager who posted on her personal Facebook wall "Interviewing again today. Hopefully not a bunch of one-and-outs." And the post was set so the public could see it. So unprofessional. Not long after that, she no longer had that job and was working in a jewelry store selling diamonds. I've always wondered if she quit or got fired. For her I think it was a power trip.
It doesn't feel great, doesn't feel like anything. I have no emotion going in. I'm just looking for someone qualified, I ask questions to determine if they are qualified and go to the next person. It's just business. When I'm on the other side I feel the same, I don't feel bad when I'm rejected because as soon I as leave the interview I go back to applying so I'm never in a situation where I'm thinking about the interview because I'm off to the next just as they are.
It is just part of the job. I have hired hundreds of people, and interviewed in excess of 1,000 people back in my working life. You do not let emotions get involved, or you will find emotions lead to bad hires.
You review the applications to see which ones possibly fit your needs. You are looking for: A)--Do they have the education required to fit the job. B)--Do they have experience that could help on the job. C)--Very important---Do they have the personality and attitude that will permit them to fit in with current staff, and/or customers/clients when applicable.
You are looking for the one person that best fits all three of those criterias. The rest are considered not acceptable and they are rejected. You always wish you could give every applicant a job, but you can't as you have one position to fill. You keep your own feelings and emotions out of it, and do it as a business decision like several have already told you. This may seem harsh to many of you, but it is the only way you can do your job. If you don't and let emotions be involved, you hire someone you feel the most sorry for, and later realize it was a big mistake.
I've never hired or interviewed, obviously, and don't know if I could do it for the same reason I don't know if I could be a boss: I'd feel awful.
So, does it feel good or interesting to interview someone, then they get nothing?
Interested to hear.
Why would it feel great or good? You've got to pick one car insurance company over all the others. Do you feel great about not choosing all the hundreds of companies that you didn't?
That's quite a dumb statement to make.
I've interviewed about 80-100 people over the years. For every position, we had about 10 candidates on average that got through the door. We had one job for those 10 people. We chose the one we thought was the best based on the interview and resume. 9 people didn't get the job. That's it.
If they're grossly unqualified or unprofessional, then it has no bearing on me. But in a situation where there are multiple qualified candidates and I have to pick one or (more often), office politics prevent me from hiring the person...then it feels terrible.
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