Step 3: Tell Your Story and Lead in to Theirs (~8 minutes)
My story starts “As I mentioned earlier, my name is Yanek and I’m a foreign service brat. I was born in India and moved every 3 to 4 years growing up.” I continue by walking through my educational history, what I majored in & why. I describe why my first internship made it clear I’d not be using my Computer Science degree in any significant way over the long term. I talk about my brief stint at my first job, what caused me to run away and what I did in my subsequent roles: again focusing on major themes or events that prompted my transitions.
This sort of story will lead naturally into how you got to the role you’re in today and the circumstances that prompted you to hire for this position. With that background, it’s straightforward to close out with, “and that’s why we’re on the phone today! Ok, enough about me. Spend about fifteen minutes and tell me more about your background… and again, I’m very interested in anything you feel really had an impact on your career path and especially as you changed jobs: what motivated you to leave and what you found attractive about the new role.” (This is THE question — and, fair point, it’s not really a question.)
The cadence you take telling your story should inform the cadence your candidate uses in telling theirs. Try to avoid being rushed: it will be hard for the candidate to keep up, they’ll rush through their background assuming you’re just trying to get it over with, and you’ll each get a lot less value out of the conversation. Pay special attention to the candidates ability to manage his or her own time: candidates that can effectively summarize within an allotted time constraint are stronger communicators.
Step 4: Listen and Take Notes (~15 minutes)
At this point, after I’ve asked THE question, I typically hit mute because I’m starting to type furiously on the keyboard. As the candidate’s story unfolds, take notes. Interrupt only when the situation is dire: for instance, if the line cuts out for 10 seconds or more. In any other situation, make a note of what part of the story you missed and come back to it later. Also, take notes.
Be prepared to hit mute again at a drop of a hat though: if something the candidate says evokes a response (a laugh, a sound of affirmation, etc) the candidate should hear it. It’ll reinforce you’re listening. Miss your cue? It’s okay to apologize and explain you’d muted so the candidate didn’t have to listen to your clickety keyboard. You’ll prove you were paying attention shortly.
This is by far the most important part of the interview process and where you’ll get the vast majority of insight into your candidate. By having them walk through their career histories in this way, you’ll often get several, and maybe even all, of your prepared interview questions answered without having to even ask them. Cross those questions off your list now. Plus you’ll have time set aside afterwards to fill in any gaps.
Can you guess how I ‘remember’ my conversations with Ed and Paul above? Notes.