Recruiting and the Art of Candidate Control

Itís critical to stay in control of the interview and the information transfer. It is incredibly easy for the situation to get turned around and for you to lose control. Have you ever been in that situation where the candidate fires off question after question, and youíve got this awful sinking feeling? You donít know the answers, or the answers you were giving arenít cutting it. Youíre not good enough, youíre not making the cut, what you are offering isnít good enough, and the candidate is getting ready to reject you or hang up.

The best way to stay in control is remember this: the one who asks the questions is the one in control. Thatís the one who controls the flow, the pace, the content, the direction of the conversation.

So, what do you do if a candidate starts asking questions? If you answer politely, you may find that there are follow up questions and follow ups to thatÖand the questions will get increasingly difficult to answer. Before you know it, you are asked a particularly tough question, and there is that sinking feeling once again.

The typical advice is to answer, and take the reins back by asking a question, but that can be problematic. What if the candidate doesnít give you the chance?

Some wonít. They are professionals and they have questions that they want to have answered, and theyíre going to get to all those questions. They also are testing you. They are sparring, but you as a recruiter are at a great disadvantage. They have domain knowledge, you donít. As soon as you get into that sparring contest, prepare to lose.

So what do you do? Donít allow the frontal assault. Donít allow them to take control. Keep them where you need them and keep the focus on them. You are the recruiter and you are the one who asks the questions. They are the one being tested, not you. You already have a job and they are the ones who need to prove themselves to you. SoÖhere comes that question from the once againÖand here is how we handle it:

What you do is, you move off the question. Instead of answering the question, you say, ìThatís a great question. Iíd love to get into that in detail in our next conversation.î Thatís it! It is really that easy. Öand this works in almost any situation.

But be warned:, never tell the job seeker that you wonít answer a question. If you do that, your conversation will rapidly degrade into a game. Cat and Mouse, higher/lower, bigger than a breadbasket, whatever. The candidate will fixate and the conversation (and candidate) are lost. Once again, the phrase is, ìThatís a great question. Iíd love to get into that in detail in our next conversation.î

-Peter Gray is Gartnerís Head of Sourcing & Research, HR Recruiting, USA, with over eleven years of IT Talent Acquisition and Recruiting Management experience. He can be reached at Gartner via direct dial, 203-316-6269 or e-mail to peter.gray@gartner.com.