"My Boss Is Pressuring Me to Make a Hire! These Candidates are Not Good Enough; Should I Settle?" - 12/08/21 Edition
Stephen Says Column

 Dear Stephen,

 I am a regional manager at a contract furniture manufacturer. I’m desperate to hire new business development people — I need at least five new sellers. I have been recruiting on my own, I hired an agency and ran ads and, yes, I networked and did the LinkedIn thing.
 
 Everyone keeps telling me to track down all the Staples people or the Knoll and Herman Miller people. But even though it seems like there are plenty of choices, finding people is a problem. And, by-the-way, it’s not just the sales jobs. It’s everything from showroom managers to project managers to regional jobs like mine.
 
 I have been interviewing and interviewing with disappointing results. Once I finally get the person in front of me, no one can pass muster. My complaint list is long: Candidates are lazy in prepping for the interview and show up lacking excitement or enthusiasm; few have looked me up on LinkedIn so they know who they’ll be seeing; they don’t research the company they supposedly want to work for other than a glance at the website “splash” page.
 
 I can be as desperate as can be but if I do not feel a candidate is well prepared I am going to pass. And is it too much to ask a candidate to put their home address on a resume? I need to know how far away they are from the sales territory. Why does the resume say “to present” if you got let go from Staples two weeks ago? You did not have time to update your resume? Please! And finally, can you get a little dressed up to come to an interview?
 
 My HR department supports me and my standards, but our VP of sales says I am being too picky in my requirements and is pressuring me to make a hire happen now. I know I will regret making a bad hire, so I am taking the heat for it instead of taking worse heat for it a year from now when the person quits, or I fire them. I’ve been down this road, and the cost to the company and the time it takes to train someone that turns out to not have the necessary skills is painful. And what about the harm to the employee who has wasted a year of their time and feels like a failure?
 
 Am I being too picky? I don’t think so. 
 Signed,
 Regional Heaty
 

 Dear Mr. Heat,

 There are some very basic rules all job seekers need to follow, and as a hiring manager you have every right to expect them. Here’s a partial list of our advice to candidates.
 
 • Make sure your resume is accurate and up-to-date with no spelling errors. Have your spouse or a friend re-read it to make sure it is perfect. Include your home address.
 • Make sure every email to the interviewer is perfect, no syntax or spelling errors and for goodness sake don’t misspell the person’s name.
 • Read the LinkedIn profile of the person you are interviewing with. Maybe you went to the same college, or lived in the same small town or have some connection in common to talk about.
 • Look at the company’s website to learn about their philosophy, goals, products and locations. Remember the three “P’s” — the press, the product and the people. Don’t expect the interviewer to tell you about the company — you should already know it.
 • Wear business attire to the interview — no exceptions.
 • Turn off your smartphone. Looking at it during the interview is an insult to the interviewer.
 • Act like you want to work there. Lack of enthusiasm is one of the most common complaints we hear from interviewers.
 • Sell yourself. Don’t just have a pleasant conversation.
 • Be prepared for non-business, non-resume questions like “What’s the latest book you have read?” or “What’s your favorite movie?”
 • Prepare a list of questions to ask the interviewer.
 • Send a short, carefully worded follow-up note after the interview.
 • On Teams or Zoom interviews show high energy, silence your phone, keep the cats, dogs and kids away, and dress in a business-like manner.
 
 So, Mr. Heat, if everyone followed this advice list, you’d have much better interviews.
 
 I say stick to your guns, take the heat now instead of later and slow down the hiring process. Yes, there is a shortage of good candidates but never settle — wait. Candidates that interview poorly never get better. Never! Sooner or later, there’ll be some winners that come along. I promise you.
 
 Stephen

 You can send your workplace questions to Stephen at: StephenSays@bellow.press
 
 Questions selected to be answered, will appear in this column. Please use the Subject: ‘Stephen Says’ for all emails. Stephen Viscusi is a bestselling author, television personality, and CEO of The Viscusi Group, global executive recruiters located in New York. Follow Stephen on Twitter @stephenviscusi. Like Stephen on Facebook and follow him on LinkedIn.