The "unspoken communications" during my "interview from hell"

I recently returned from one of those “interviews from hell.” It all started with bad weather, and I mean really bad weather. After two days of rain, many streets and businesses were closed. The back roads that I would normally take to this town were impassable. So I gave myself an extra half-hour of time, and took the main road. This turned out to be a mistake, as it was bumper to bumper for 20 miles in both directions. Two hours later I arrived at their location. Of course, I had called in route to let them know I would be late for the appointment. I had also called 20 minutes after the appointed time to offer to reschedule, which they accepted. So our appointment was rescheduled for the following day. Another two hours and I was home from this fiasco. Not a very productive use of my time. The following day, the roads were somewhat better, and I arrived on time for the interview.

Unfortunately, the hiring manager was busy, and had me wait for 30 minutes before being seen. I was greeted by a somewhat serious and preoccupied hiring manager who quickly ushered me into a very small conference room. With practically no small talk, and no apparent concern for my previous day’s plight, we jumped right into it with the normal question of “so tell me about yourself.”

I was not consciously aware of this at the time, but in looking back, I am sure that I was feeling concern about the way I was being treated. Just one more of those subliminal thoughts running through my mind as I smiled politely and answered questions to which we both knew the answers. There was no mention of the previous day, the weather or the inconvenience of my commuting to the location only to have the appointment canceled. The thought of working for a manager who would be so callous as to not even mention the previous day’s experience was repugnant. This fact, coupled with being required to wait 30 minutes before being seen, and then jumping right into the “interrogation” gave me the subliminal impression that this hiring manager was not very intelligent.

The bottom line with this story is that our behavior was shaped by the circumstances and the information we exchanged had less to do with the company’s needs or my ability, and everything to do with the unconscious perceptions of the other person’s sense of priorities. These unspoken communications predominated the meeting, and we both walked away feeling that this was not a match. Not a very accurate assessment of our mutual abilities and interests. This was an all too common “job interview” scenario. It was sloppy, inaccurate, and a true waste of time for both of us. Surely there is a better way.