I knew from the moment that I spoke with the candidate on the phone he would not be the right fit for the position or organization.  However, he "happened" to be vacationing in the area and the hiring manager thought it would be good to at least have a quick sit down and find out a little more about him and his experience.  Our quick sit down took on a life of its own with several other hiring managers wanting to participate since their groups could potentially be working with this person.

I had spoke with this candidate on a couple of occasions over the phone and based on those conversations I felt this was not going to be a good interview.  I have recruited for several years on all types of positions and occasionally you have that feeling, the deep gut recruiter feeling that things just aren't right.  I was hoping it was wrong today.  I went to the reception area and greeted him, thankfully he seemed completely normal!  I felt bad that I had judged and hoped that I was off the mark with my assessment and this would turn out to be a great interview.  I offered him something to drink while he waited.  He declined, but mentioned that he would like to stop by the restroom prior to his interview.  I walked him through our building and to the interview location that was conveniently located next to the restrooms.   I walked into the interview room and let the group know he was ready and would be joining us in just a moment.

As my candidate walked into the room I had the shocking visual of his fly open.  Not just a little open, but wide open, shirt tail hanging out and all!  I was in a room with five other people, all male.  I didn't want to embarrass him and he seemed a little nervous for the interview already.  Hoping that no one else would notice or one of the men sitting next to him would lean over and say something, I took out my notepad and hoped for the best.

The interview didn't get any better.  The candidate struggled with his answers, had issues making eye contact and didn't seem to be engaged in the interview process.  My interview panel did their best to put him at ease and try to get as much information as possible from him.  After thirty minutes everyone in the room had that look on their face, the let's just get this over with look. 

One manager liked to have the candidates whiteboard out problems or solutions.  He felt it showed their ability to think quickly and help others understand a problem or issue.  He started to ask the candidate about doing so when I interrupted stating that our time was nearly up and we probably should wrap it up.  He said it would only take a couple of minutes and wanted to proceed.  I thought about this poor man standing in front of the group with his fly wide open.  I could only hope that he realized the issue and had fixed it at some point during the interview.

He was instructed that he could speak on any topic he wanted, it did not have to be related to his area of expertise, but just something he felt comfortable with and could educate the group on for three to five minutes.  He stood up and turned to the group, at which point I am sure everyone in the room saw his dilemma.  He was quiet for a few minutes and then stated, "I don't really know much about fly fishing, but I think that is what I would like to speak about."  I couldn't believe it, really?  Of all the topics he could have chosen, fly fishing? 

I had never been in that type of situation before with an interview.  I have thought about this interview many times and always wondered how could I have handled it better?    I have spoke with other colleagues and asked what they would have done.  Many have responded they would have done nothing, as to not make the candidate more uncomfortable.  One stated she would have stood up and asked him to step outside for a moment and tell him about his fly situation.  What about you?  Have you been in this situation before?  What would you do?

Although the story should have ended here, it didn't.  Check out one of my future posts to hear the rest of the story.

After ten years in the staffing and recruiting industry, I am now helping other companies find the right software solution.

www.avionte.com