should you end an interview early if the candidate obviously isn’t right for the job? by Alison Green on October 11, 2017 A reader writes: As managers, we all have had to interview a person where you know five minutes in that there is zero chance you are going to proceed with them. Sometimes it’s a lack of interest on their end, inability to answer clearly or professionally, or maybe just being woefully unqualified. Is there a […] Read the full article →
a job candidate cut me out of an interview in favor of my male colleague by Alison Green on August 24, 2017 A reader writes: We received a direct job application from a great candidate. Great cover letter. Great experience. She hit all the marks (I feel gender is important here). I’m a female partner at a small firm for our industry. I replied to her with a note saying, in short, “I really like you — […] Read the full article →
how to reject a really bad internal applicant by Alison Green on August 22, 2017 A reader writes: I am in a fantastic position: I got promoted in May and get to build my own team from within the department. I’ve had interim team members up to this point, but people have now applied for two permanent positions. I have three applicants for these positions. Here’s the problem: our job […] Read the full article →
we hired someone without talking to any references … and it went badly by Alison Green on July 20, 2017 About a month ago, a reader posted this in an open thread: Does anyone have any experience hiring someone when you couldn’t get in touch with any real references? We recently interviewed some one who seemed okay but I had reservations. We didn’t have many good options, so we asked for her references. The only […] Read the full article →
courtesy interviews: when colleagues pressure you to interview candidates they’ve referred by Alison Green on July 19, 2017 A reader writes: What is your opinion on “courtesy interviews”? Specifically, interviews for the sake of appeasing higher-ups when you have no interest in the candidate? I am not a hiring manager and do not work in HR, but rather my boss has tasked myself and a few colleagues to filter through resumes for a […] Read the full article →
how long should I wait for a job candidate to respond when I’m scheduling interviews? by Alison Green on June 15, 2017 A reader writes: I am in charge of our department’s intern program. It’s highly competitive and seen as fairly prestigious in our field, as paid entry-level positions are very rare. I initially sent out emails to six candidates to let them know that we would like to schedule interviews with them. Two of the six […] Read the full article →
a job applicant found our interview notes on each candidate by Alison Green on June 14, 2017 A reader writes: I’m a manager of a department. Last year, two of my employees interviewed and hired some interns and a full-time employee. I’ve always written down my notes on paper on standardized printouts, but my employees decided to keep their notes organized on a project management/note-taking app. I was invited to the board, […] Read the full article →
can I rescind a job offer immediately? by Alison Green on April 24, 2017 A reader writes: I recently called an applicant to offer her a customer service position. She responded flatly as soon as I introduced myself. (“Oh. Hi.”) I was a little taken aback, but proceeded with the job offer anyway. Her terse reply immediately signaled a complete lack of interest. She said little other than, “Huh. […] Read the full article →
what to do when a candidate’s salary expectations are too high by Alison Green on April 12, 2017 A reader writes: Our online application system asks candidates to provide salary requirements, and of course we have in mind a target salary for our new hire. How can I best respond to candidates who have salary requirements well outside our range? If the candidate’s target salary is literally double our budget, I don’t want […] Read the full article →
what to say to a job candidate who no-shows for an interview by Alison Green on March 3, 2017 A reader writes: What is the best way to follow up with a candidate who was a no-show for their second interview? I plan to follow up by email, but am unsure as to how to word the message or what exactly to say. I don’t want to sound overly accusatory, if something serious did […] Read the full article →