How Long Does it Take to Assess a Candidate?

Making judgments is unavoidable. It’s part of what makes us human. In a way, we organize our world through our judgments. They help us give meaning to things, attribute value to people and objects, and they define and/or condition personal relationships  and situations.

Illusionism

Objectivity is an illusion, simply because we live in a world of symbols, words and concepts which are intrinsically ambiguous. One thing may mean many things. Saying the same thing will have a different meaning depending on how we say it, how we stress it, the tone or cadence of our voice, our accent, whether we are speaking metaphorically… the list goes on. Just be sure of something: if you are a human being -which I guess you are since you are reading this- the illusion of objectivity is only there to cloud your judgement. So first step: accept the fact that we are all subject to ourselves and our cultures. We are subjective subjects thanks to our ability to communicate through words and ideas and because we are not all-knowing gods.

*Blink*. I (think I) know who you are!

Cognitively, it takes us between 2 and 10 seconds to make a judgment. In just a fleeting moment, the course of a long lasting relationship, the fate of a career or the rest of a person’s life can be drastically affected. For those of you who have fallen in love at first sight and ended up in a relationship; have you ever thought what could have happened if you hadn’t felt that crush that day? A whole chapter in your life could have been completely different. Actually, it happens every time we meet someone. The patterns of interaction with the person we meet will be  greatly influenced by what happens during those first couple of seconds after you meet him or her. Down the road, you may get to know the person better and reassess your preconceptions -and perceptions-, or you may never do.

The hirer’s mistake

On top of that 2-10 second first impression, many recruiters and hiring managers make the decision -conscious or unconsciously- of whether to hire or not to hire a candidate within the first 10 minutes of the interview. The rest of it is just a filler. Candidates should be aware of this as well. In most interviews,  the first 10 minutes are crucial to make a good impression and you may not have a second chance to make your case.

By closing the case early during the interview, we cease to think and just rush through the questions without thinking about them, dismissing a wealth of information about the candidate. Another thing that happens, is that we use the remainder of the interview to check and reassert the conclusions we’ve made during the first minutes of the interview. It’s like when you were to buy that first used car that you have been craving (and saving) for . Sometimes you’ll see what you want to see and ignore evident warning signs because your judgment is clouded by the “crush” yo got on the car.

Last week I was interviewing a person. Ten minutes into the interview I found myself thinking “yeap, she looks like a good fit for this unit”. Thankfully I heard myself thinking this so I refrained from suspending my critical thinking. By the time I finished the interview I was hardly convinced by this candidate. During that final half hour, a few red flags were risen which made me doubt the suitability of the candidate for the position -and the suitability of the position for the candidate-. Had I gone with my gut feeling, I may have made a mistake hiring the person -a  mistake I’ve made in the past-.

In gut feeling’s  defense

Don’t get me wrong; gut feelings are not necessarily a bad thing, in fact, they provide a level of insight not achievable through our “rational” thinking process. Gut feelings are a convergence of our perceptive organs’ input, our  feelings and fast cognition. That level of connectivity between areas  is not achievable through our linear -and contemplative- thinking process. You just have to be critic towards gut feelings and also towards yourself and your motives. Our judgments should not be exempt from our own criticism.

How long should it take to assess a candidate?

This may as well be the title of the article. Answer: The whole length of it. This may be your only chance to make the decision to hire someone who will be sharing much more than office space. Seize every minute of the interview and make it worth it for both you and the interviewee.  If you are a recruiter, head hunter or hiring manager, resist the urge and anxiety of closing the case early on.

A final word for candidates

If you are on the other side of the desk, remember the importance of those first minutes and always ask the most important question at the end of  every interview: “do you have any reservations or concerns with regards to my experience, credentials or ability to perform this job?” (rephrase at will). It will give you a second chance to stress your qualifications, clarify misunderstandings, revisit a part of the interview where you didn’t do that well or at least get a clearer picture of where you are standing.

Image credit, Gradkin

Article by Fernando

The guy in charge of this blog - husband, Psychologist, former Manager, Blogger, Job Coach, Recruiter and Information Junkie. Yes, I am all that.

Fernando has written 237 awesome articles for us at FT Careers Blog

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