“The Importance of Being Earnest” in Hiring

In the 1890’s Oscar Wilde wrote a play entitled “The Importance of Being Earnest” it was a farce about Victorian social mores. However, the title comes to mind when dealing with the process of interviewing and hiring personnel. In order for the process to be a total success, both the interviewer and interviewee need to be earnest about themselves and their expectations.

I’ve known potential candidates that present themselves in an unrealistic light in an effort to get hired. I’ve also heard interviewers paint a brighter picture of the open position in order to entice the candidate. These actions are a disservice to all.

Candidates need to present themselves in the best possible manner, but don’t oversell what you can’t deliver. If the company is looking for someone to do heavy data input, be realistic about your speed and accuracy in typing. You don’t want to win the job and then disappoint the company. Also, think about the work that you will be doing, the actual tasks involved in the position. Is this what you really want to spend your day doing? If not, be polite and explain that you don’t think this is the right fit for you. The company will appreciate your honesty and may call you back for a position that better fits you at a later time.

Interviewers need to be honest in describing the company, position, required tasks and, most importantly, the corporate culture. If the environment is fast-paced, let the candidate know. They may prefer a slower pace environment. If the job requires 90% customer contact, let them know. They may prefer little customer contact.

Although it is important to fill critical positions quickly, it is more important to fill them correctly. Too much time and energy is spent in the interviewing, hiring, and training process to find out they were not the right fit and you need to start all over again.

The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.