are interviews really a two way street?

open role: vp of sales

• series a, $23m in funding, $10m in arr

• running a team of 15+ and growing

• targeting 25+ in sales by years end

• revtech saas for revenue c-suite

interested? apply here

active candidate: vp of sales

• 15 years in sales, 5 with a fintech you know of

• scaled from $2m to over $250m

• quietly looking for a scale-up needing a “been there done that”

• sf based and wants to be onsite daily downtown

want to chat with them? email me

penny for my thoughts:

interviews are how we decide who to hire or where to work. while they’re often viewed through the lens of being a “two way street,” who really has control?

who holds the cards in an interview?

what leverage do you have?

hiring managers:

while it may feel like you have the final say, you’re still only 1/2 the equation. if you decide that you want to hire someone, they have to decide to accept your offer.

the majority of the control you feel like you have, is contingent on candidate compliance

“it’s my decision” only goes so far and the attitude that comes with that notion is even more lackluster than the offers that tend to follow.

so while there’s a lot in your control (interview process, decision to offer, what you offer etc), thinking it’s your call leaves a lot up to chance.

so, how do you gain control/leverage?

• ask great questions: candidates will tell you everything you need to know to get them the offer they’ll accept. they’ll also tell you everything they’re worried about, all of their concerns and why they wouldn’t accept…. if you ask the right questions

• listen well: a great question only matters when the answer is actually heard. you have to know how to read between the lines, know what their concerns are actually about and respond accordingly. do they actually care what company provides the insurance or are they a new parent that’s anxious what different coverage (had this issue last month).

• sell yourself: “people don’t leave jobs they leave bosses” applies to why candidates join in the first place. they’re not considering a product as much as they’re considering who’s leading them. if you’re over-indexing on your product, you’re missing out on selling candidates on the thing you have the most control over… you

so… while I do believe hiring managers have the true upper hand, top tier candidates truly are interviewing you and they frankly don’t give a shit about how great you think you are. your moms opinion doesn’t matter here.

lean in. try. put the work in to win them over. you want what they have? show it.

candidates:

‘go on wit yo bad self’ interviewing them as much as they’re interviewing you, but don’t be surprised when that attitude gets you exactly 0 offers.

while it is a two way street, there’s no job without an offer and hiring managers aren’t just throwing out offers to anyone. you gotta earn it.

so how do you gain leverage?

• clear communication: let them know where you’re at with other companies/stages. it’s not about creating unnecessary urgency, it’s about letting them know what timeline they need to operate within in order to get you to accept an offer.

• respect: people want to hire people they like. if you’re a top performing ass, no one will want to hire you, except for maybe other p-club-caliber clowns.

• sell yourself: know your KPIs and know how to present them in a clear and concise way that says, “if you hire me, this is what I’ll do for you”

• ask great questions: if you ask the right questions, hiring managers will tell you everything you need to know.

• listen well: this goes both ways, but if you can ask the right questions and listen between the lines, you’ll have all the ammo you need to win.

TLDR:

is it a 2 way street? yes.

is there an “upper hand”? yes.

does it really matter? no.

all you can do is control your end and a lot of what’s in your control comes down to your attitude and disposition.

are you viewing yourself as the one with the leverage and control? they can feel it.

are you genuinely evaluating the candidate or company for a good fit? they can feel it.

music for your friday