How Many Licks Does It Take To Get To The Centre of The…

In 2000 rapper Lil’ Kim released a song entitled How Many Licks, in which she pondered how many licks it would take to get to the centre of the…

I think she was talking about Recruitment.

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Imagine for a second that you’re a sucker.

Not that kind of sucker.

On the outside, you’re the same as every other candy on a stick. But somewhere inside lies ooey, gooey, delicious goodness.

As a Recruiter, every time I sit down to an interview, I’m wondering: How many licks will it take to take to get to the centre of the… 

If I have to lick until this happens:

There’s a good chance you’re not getting the job.

However, if I get hooked on the sweet sweet goodness inside of you, I’m going to give my client a call to tell them about what I’ve tasted and encourage them to have a lick as well.

That’s how it works.

***

Here’s a Dramatic Scene for you:

A Dramatic Scene
 
Me: How many years of experience do you have?
Interviewee: I’ve been working Technical Support for as long as I can remember.
Me: Great, which gives you how many years of experience?
Interviewee: I started right out of college.
Me: (Flipping through resume) So 2002?
Interviewee: Yep.
Me: Do you have any experience with Ticketing Systems?
Interviewee: Pretty much everywhere I’ve worked.
Me: Okay. Which ones?
Interviewee: Once you’ve used one, you’ve pretty much used them all.
Me: Sure. Which ones have you specifically used? 
Interviewee: Let me think. Remedy way back in the day. Heat, I believe and something at the last place, I can’t remember the name. It was custom built.
Me: Okay. Do you have any questions for me?
 
Had this interview been the last of four, at the end of a bad day, they would have been discounted from the competition after their first answer. Luckily it’s 10:00 am, I just scored a big placement and I’m feeling good. I’ll humor the candidate with a few licks to try to get to the centre of their…
 
To start, I ask a broad question:
 
Me: How many years of experience do you have?
 
 To which I get a non-answer:
 
Interviewee: I’ve been working Technical Support for as long as I can remember.
 
Although I am currently in the process of developing a tool that will allow Recruiter’s to dig into their Candidate’s memories to gather past information, it’s not ready yet.
 
So I do one of my least favourite things, repeat myself:
 
Me: Great, which gives you how many years of experience?:
Interviewee: I started right out of college.
 
Another non-answer. This one requires me to dig into the Candidate’s resume to find it myself. Two questions in. Two strikes deep. Another lick.
 
Me: (Flipping through resume) So 2002?
Interviewee: Yep.
 
Let’s pause for AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF ADVICE
 
If you give a Yes or No answer in an interview and leave it hanging without further explanation, you’re giving a BAD answer. No exceptions.
 
I continue to lick:
 
Me: Do you have any experience with Ticketing Systems?
 
If you’re being asked about something specific, it’s probably because, if hired, it’s something you’d encounter on the job. Here’s the chance to strut your stuff.
 
 
Interviewee: Pretty much everywhere I’ve worked
 
This is a YES answer with four more words than it needs and no adequate explanation. My tongue hurts.
 
Me: Okay, which ones?
Interviewee: Once you’ve used one, you’ve pretty much used them all.
 
No delicious filling in site. Apparently I’m the sucker. One more lick. 
 
Me: Sure, which ones have you specifically used? 
Interviewee: Let me think. Remedy way back in the day. Heat, I believe and something at the last place, I can’t remember . It was custom built.
 
The moment I sense you don’t know how to speak to your background or what is in your resume, the interview is over. I ask the final question to indicate you’ve used up all your licks:
 
Me: Do you have any questions for me?
 
***
 
Here’s how the scene should have played:
 
A Dramatic Scene Redux
 
Me: How many years of experience do you have?
Interviewee: I picked up a gig at Tech Company A pretty much right out of college. That was 2002. They needed someone to come in and answer the phones, which I did for about a year before being promoted to Deskside Support. That lasted six months until they folded and I grabbed a Tech Support position at Tech Company B. After two years they decided to outsource IT overseas so I took the package and moved to Tech Company C.
Me: Excellent. Do you have any experience with Ticketing Systems?
Interviewee: Lots. They used Remedy at Tech Company A. When I was at Tech Company B they were using Spiceworks then switched to Heat . Tech Company C had a custom built one that was similar to Remedy. Once you’ve used one, you’ve pretty much used them all.
Interviewee: Excellent. Tell me more about what you were responsible for at Tech Company A.
 
In this redux, after two licks I’ve gained more insight than I did after six in the original. I am also convinced this person not only knows Ticketing Systems but is worthy of promotion. Instead of feeling like I’m flogging dead horses, I’m intrigued. It sounds like this person has some deliciousness at their centre and I want a taste.
 
 
This person got the job. Not only did they know their centre, but they let me get to it with ease.  
 
Before your next interview stop and ask yourself, how many licks does it take to get to the centre of my…?

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