Managing Sticky Situations at Work

Chapter 9Sticky Interview SituationsEmployment Interviews abound with sticky situations. For the candidatethe interview is one of the hardest places to be. Candidates must‘‘sell’’ themselves to the interviewer. They must put themselves onthe line for someone else to judge. It has to be one of the mostuncomfortable tasks any of us faces in our work lives. The turndownsfeel as if someone personally rejected us. For the interviewer, it is notan easy task either. Interviewers do not like to hold someone’s futurein their hands. For many people, this place also feels awkward anduncomfortable.In my previous book, Strategic Interviewing: Skills and Tactics forSavvy Executives, 1 I introduced a communication strategy for interviewersthat makes the decision-making role less subjective. This strategycenters on the POINT selection process (see sidebar). ThePOINT process gives interviewers the skills they need to make purposefulhiring decisions.