Job Interview 3.0 – Who is Actually Applying to Whom These Days?

Imagine the following situation: You reserve a table at an upscale Italian restaurant for you and your companion. Things are going great at work, and you want to celebrate. After a warm welcome and being seated at your white-clothed table, the head chef appears and asks you a series of questions about Italian cuisine, history, and culture. He wants to determine if you are suitable as a guest and if he should even cook for you.

How would you react? Surprised? Overwhelmed? Outraged? This is understandable, as such a situation would certainly challenge and potentially overwhelm you.

You might think that this scenario has no real-world equivalent and that it's pointless to anticipate reactions to the rude chef. However, let's turn our attention to the job interview process and how the roles of job seeker and employer are distributed today. What seemed unthinkable a few years ago is now often reality: As an entrepreneur or a manager looking to fill a position, you need to convincingly and enthusiastically explain your company and the job to the candidate, just as the job seeker must convey their motivation and skills.

What happened?

In essence, this is easy to explain: The roles have, if not swapped, then certainly become much more similar. Both interviewer and interviewee must strive to present themselves in the best possible light. The key difference is that the candidate often has multiple job options, whereas employers no longer have the luxury of selecting from a large pool of applicants.

The New Etiquette for Job Interviews

This means that if you have a position to fill, you need to do two main things: Understand and Align with Candidates' Values: You must know, understand, and ideally meet the value systems, needs, and life principles of the applicants. Revamp Your Interview Approach: You need to rethink the way you've been structuring and conducting interviews. It's well-known that a good work environment, flat hierarchies, personal responsibility, and work-life balance are top priorities for many candidates. Therefore, your approach during the interview must not contradict these factors. Consider how you generally present yourself, the questions you ask the candidate, the scenarios you choose, how you assess the candidate’s professional background, and how you present your own company. These are all aspects that you should no longer leave to chance—or to the methods you used in the past.

Before diving into specific do's and don'ts, here is an important fundamental tip: Remind yourself before an interview that it is often preceded by a long and intensive search process. The interview itself is a pivotal moment within the entire candidate experience, and the pool of suitable candidates is not infinite. This brief reflection will shape your mindset, helping you to value the upcoming conversation more and naturally discard any behavior that might create unnecessary distance.

Do’s und Don’t’s 

1. Ensure a pleasant conversation atmosphere in your office or meeting room. Keep it cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and generally comfortable to make candidates feel at ease.
2. Inquire about the well-being of the candidate.
3. Explain the interview process and introduce yourself.
4. Be approachable and genuinely interested in the candidate's statements.
5. When conducting a skills check, avoid choosing catastrophic scenarios from your company for which candidates must propose solutions.
6. Ask about practical experiences and achievements, and focus on the candidate's potential and strengths. Do not primarily look for gaps.
7. Allocate time at the end of the interview for candidates to ask their own questions.
8. Consider in advance what valuable aspects your company, team, and the work can offer to the candidate.
9. Drop the "poker face" if you are enjoying the conversation and show your appreciation.
10. Discuss salary expectations early in the process to avoid surprises and disappointments at the end.
11. Define the next steps with a timeline to ensure the process can move forward quickly.

Good Luck!

Doris Fink

Managing Director/Owner