Recently we sent a very experienced candidate out for an interview. His qualifications were exceptional, his attitude jovial and his availability immediate. But there was one thing... he would not shut up! Does he not know he talks too much? Hasn't anyone ever told him this? Can he not help it? Is he just excited? All of these things came to mind. He was undeniably nice and almost over-qualified for the job, so we hoped these positive traits would outweigh his tendency to blabber about things unrelated to the task at hand - getting the job.
We finally decided to do what was needed. The dreaded intervention. We were going to tell him that he needed stop talking so much. But as a recruiter, this is a sensitive thing to do. After all, telling someone they tend to talk too much takes poise, etiquit and sensitivity. So we did it, and he was appreciative and professional about it. But.... you guessed it. Old habits are just hard to break, I guess. After hours of preparation and coaching before the interview, the talker came out during the interview.
As we suspected, he did not get the job because of this. The client stated "we felt as if the candidate might have a hard time following instructions. He didn't seem to listen very well". Here are some tips.
Dale Hannegan
www.radsciences.com
www.mymedport.com
