The selection processes of candidates in companies often remind me of a hellish combination of “What? Where? When?”, KVN, and the famous South Korean survival series “Squid Game”.
- Mathematical problems.
- IQ test.
- A psychological questionnaire with 500 questions.
- Then a test with a task such as: “develop a strategy for launching a product on the Latin American market.”
- A questionnaire for the security service with the question: “Do you suffer from constipation?” (a real case of a candidate who was applying for the position of deputy director of a store in a federal network).
- And for dessert – a polygraph and “who are you according to your horoscope.”
“My most remarkable interview lasted three days. On the first day – a huge hall of 300-400 people and each has 2 minutes to introduce themselves. After that, 100 remain. Then tests – 50 remain. On the second day, five specialists play games with us. 10 remain. The third day – a personal interview and … an offer of relocation. Which is impossible for me due to family circumstances. Why didn’t you tell me about this right away?”
“I was hired once for 5 months. So long that the top manager changed during this time and we had to start the process over again.”
Sound familiar?
I get the impression that the selection of a candidate for a company is such a complex multi-level process in which the candidate himself is practically unimportant. As well as the actual filling of the position by a person of the required qualifications.
The bosses write formal replies instead of a search assignment. HR is incredibly active, doing everything “according to science” so that the boss can see that the work is in full swing. 500 or more applicants at the first interview. Huge stacks of resumes, multi-level testing, tricky questions for candidates.
How else can we recognize what kind of person came to us for an interview? Really, how??
“I’m not an HR, but when I had to recruit a team, I can honestly say that the worst choice was when I chose someone who passed all the tests (we did a test on accounting, transactions, PL, formulas KPI)….as a result, lately I just ask questions and look at the person – what kind of mindset, character, is there curiosity, resourcefulness…in general, important human qualities. Knowledge or not knowledge of the wiring is a matter of acquisition and very quickly mastered if you are smart enough to look through Google, a book or not so arrogant to just ask colleagues or management how it is done.”
Or maybe it’s true, let’s start talking with each other like with normal people?