Before the Interview: Getting Aligned

Getting aligned before we show up for the interview.

We are grateful to work with growing companies that are often bringing new talent onto their teams.

Over the years, here’s the biggest spot I’ve seen teams struggle:

Not being clear and aligned on who we are trying to hire, before going into the hiring and interview process.

For example:

• If we are recruiting a Chief of Staff, are we looking for someone to support calendar management and scheduling, or are we looking for someone to help inform and drive the strategic direction of the company?

• If we are hiring a Chief Marketing Officer, will this person have autonomy and agency to drive strategy and direction, or will they execute on a direction that is defined by others? Will this person sit on the executive team?

• If we are hiring for a business development role, are we looking for someone to be out in the community, at networking events, and on boards? Or, are we looking for someone to determine the next 5-10 years of our company’s growth strategy?

• Are we looking for a market president who will be on the road 90% of the time, visiting new offices and bringing new markets online? Or are we looking for someone who is focused on leading, managing, coaching, and developing the team they lead?

• Are we looking for a CFO who has an accountant by background? Or, someone who is coming from a finance lens who is partnering with senior accountants on the team?

• Are we hiring an office manager to help set the culture of the office? Or, are we looking for someone to work behind the scenes, helping things run smoothly? Or, perhaps both?

These are just a few examples.

When hiring for key roles, before posting a position; conducting a single phone interview; or bringing candidates in for an interview, it is helpful to do the following:

• Bring together all key stakeholders related to the hire, and determine the fllowing:

  • Who is playing what role during the hiring process?

    • For example, using a RACI or RAPID framework, who are our key decision makers for this hire

    • Who needs to be informed?

    • Who wants to participate, but without decision making authority?

  • What exactly are we hiring for?

    • What are the specific qualities, skills, and experience that we are looking for?

    • What are the expectations for this role?

    • What measures of success are we looking for in 30, 60, and 90 days?

  • Who will be asking what types of questions during the interview process?

    • A great tip from Molly and Erin at Rise and Co Talent: have each interviewer focus on one specific thing. For example, one interviewer focused on cross-functional leadership. Another focuses on key skills and background related to the job function. Another focused on people leadership experience. This allows each person to get good at their specific set of interview questions while not feeling like they need to cover every possible topic area with the candidate. Importantly, this also prevents the candidate from being asked the same question by five different people. I like to think of this as pieces to a puzzle —each interviewer brings a single piece of the puzzle, which together creates a completed “interview puzzle.”

  • What will we be doing to help this person be successful once they get here?

    • What is our onboarding plan? And, who is leading it?

    • What does this person’s first day look like? First week? First month?

    • How are we locking arms with this person right away, to help them feel part of the team, and to make it easy for them to be successful?

These questions need to be answered before we start the recruiting process.

Sometimes it takes time, energy, and a bit of spirited dialogue to get to the answers. This will be time well-spent.

Questions? Please feel free to drop us a note anytime.