SPI Career Library

WHAT DO HIRING MANAGERS LOOK FOR IN THE JOB INTERVIEW?

Written by Kirk Dixon

You are out of sports and getting ready to start interviewing for a "new job or career". You are wondering what do these companies look for in someone they are about to hire into their company - what do hiring managers look for? Well, just as watching film or scouting the opposing team's play book tendencies helped to give you insights on how to prepare a winning game plan on the playing field, the same is true in preparing to ace an interview. Lets take a look at the company play book and what most hiring managers are looking for from you.

First, understand that most managers who have an open job want someone in the position sooner rather than later, but they do not like the hiring process overall. They do not like it because it is time consuming, it takes them away from their other important job duties, and it is risky business. It is risky business for two reasons: If managers…

1. wait too long to fill a job, important work does not get done for the Company and it costs them money, customers, or both. So hiring managers are generally motivated to fill jobs as quickly as possible once they are approved
2. hire too soon and get the wrong person in the job, it can cost the company more money, more customers, valuable time, and the embarrassment of having made a wrong decision

So hiring managers have a lot vested and at stake in getting the right person in a job. And to do this, they typically look for three things in interviews to find the right candidate to hire for a job opening - regardless of the job (entry level, middle management, executive level): The three areas are what they call, "Can Do, Will Do, and Fit".

1. Can Do: Does the applicant have the skills to do the job?

Companies want to hire someone who has the education and experience that qualifies them to perform certain job duties. Ideally, they want someone who is trained, a person who can come into their organization, and with little orientation and training, do the job they were hired for, and make a positive difference in the company. In fact, the best organizations not only want someone who can do a job immediately, but someone who will challenge the companies existing work practices in their particular area of expertise, and help take them to the next level. It's like a team bringing in a Bill Parcell's type person, whom you know within a short amount of time, will help the club win more often than lose.

Now most experienced professionals you will be competing against in your job search will have more experience than you once you have decided to leave the game behind. There is no way around that fact. You have been playing ball, they have been working - it's basic math. However, your job in the interview is to focus on the skills that you do have and emphasize how quickly you can learn what you need to know to do the job. You will have to sell yourself in this "can do" area, after just leaving the game though. However, over time, and the more years you work and the more experience you get, this will become less and less of an issue for you. So its important to not worry about it and just get into the game and start getting experience.

2. Will Do: Will the applicant willingly do the job for which they are applying for?

This may sound strange to most active or former athletes because you have spent your whole life being motivated to do things, and in many cases uncomfortable things. But in the world of work in general, there are lots of Americans working at jobs they are qualified to do (Can Do), but are unmotivated on a daily basis to do the job they are paid to do. This behavior or attitude simply drives company managers crazy. So in interviews they try to detect not only if someone is qualified with the right skills to do a job, but if they can count on them to do it without a lot of leadership on a regular basis. Are they a self-motivated individual?

You should be able to prepare yourself in any interview situation to answer this question affirmatively. Your whole life to date has been based on your ability to get the job done and to self motivate yourself to go the extra mile. But it's not enough for you to just say, "I am a self starter and a very motivated individual". You can say that, but you must be prepared to give concrete examples to back up that statement. Because you can never assume that an interviewer understands the world of sports you are from, and what you have gone through to get to the professional level - or to even survive at the professional level.

3. Fit: Fit answers the question, "Will the applicant "fit into" our company." Once an interviewer has established that a job candidate has the skills for a job (Can Do), and is a motivated person (Will Do), then he or she moves on to evaluate during the interview if they think a candidate will simply "fit" into the overall company culture and operate within the organizational values.

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