Importance of the Interview Process for the Interviewee
Have you ever worked where office politics counter the smooth operation and effectiveness in just getting the job done?
This is more common than you’d possibly realise. What can you do about it?
First thing is to view this situation as a learning experience. Any job, whether a great place to be or a less desired place of work is only every temporary. It won’t last so whilst this is the situation, you can benefit from this and learn counter approaches to better prepare for your future opportunities?
The interview – I’ve conducted many interviews and been interviewed many times, not always getting the job and, actually, not always wanting the job during or after the interview.
Seldom have I experienced an interviewee asking questions such as, what is it like to work here? What are the challenges to getting the day to day job done and how does the current culture/environment respond to change? Where do you see yourself in five years’ time? A standard question but not from the interviewee? Great questions and here it is important to recognise that the interviewee should be interviewing the organisation too.
Think of someone being headhunted, its great when it happens because the perceived negotiation strength and influence can shift. But should it matter whether you’ve been headhunted or not? Not really, you still need to establish where the organisation is a match for you, so be prepared, ask questions and establish if this organisation matches your needs and if they will offer a culture where you can blossom and be happy.
Recognising and having an awareness to your own values is critical.
After my last interview, I remember discussing with my own mentor the interview process. The questions they asked, the way the interviewers positioned themselves, the culture they offered and how they behaved. My feedback was, they are lovely people and I could work with the people there. They demonstrated a culture and environment that was aligned to my own values. I had been at my previous employer for many years, so the risk felt higher for some reason and this role presented, not just a change in organisation but it offered a chance to stretch and develop me. It felt like the right thing to do, they behaved by their own organisational values and could give examples how they do this. They were believable.
I’m not sure I would have asked such prominent questions if I hadn’t worked in a place where the culture, environment and office politics weren’t so detrimental to the effectiveness of just being able to get things done previously. My previous experiences, although not great at the time, have shaped my future and prepared me for future successes.
I am now in my third year with RTS Group, and it is a culture and environment that has permitted my growth, increased my capability and importantly raised my engagement and happiness in the work place. It all started with the interview process and interviewing the interviewers.
