An interview is just two people lying to each other.
The goal throughout the whole interview process is to remove those interview masks.
Nothing does it better than holding an interview outside the normal context of over the phone or in the office.This step helps get rid of the interview masks so that you can see the real person. Some people are phenomenal during the face-to-face interview and the phone interview. They’re masters at it. Maybe they’re super con artists or they’re really good communicators, or they think on their feet very well. You don’t want to evaluate them solely based on how well they talk in the first phone call and the face- to-face interview. Some people are really gifted at it and they’ll fool you. This step can really remove the interview mask and let you know whether the person is a true team player—if they’re coachable, driven, and people-savvy.
Take the candidate out. Have people on your team take the candidate out for lunch or dinner or for drinks. Preface it to the candidate as, “Hey, I want you to get to know our team, get to know our company culture, and to get a feel for whether you think we would be a good fit for you, as much as it is we’re trying to get a good feel for you.” Every organization has their own version of crazy, so you’re asking the candidate, “Do you want to be around our version of crazy? It’s a way for you to evaluate us.”
When they get outside the office, the team can ask them questions, shoot the breeze, and really get to know them. They are actually evaluating them and how they interact with other people. That’s the key indicator. Are they a jerk? Are they self-centered? You’re trying to get at that by getting them to let their guard down. Notice how they interact with the server. Do they treat the server like they’re a servant, or do they treat the server with the same respect as anybody else? How do they interact with the person on your team who might seem to have the lowest rank? Do they treat that person with the same level of integrity and kindness that they treat the boss or the person who is hiring them? Sometimes, when candidates let their guard down, they’ll say stuff off the cuff that will give your team an indicator of who this person really is. They is a really valuable step.
In some cases, when working with hospitals, we’ve seen employers ask realtors to give prospects a tour of the community if the candidate would have to relocate from out of town. the realtor will schedule a half day with the person and, in the course of the half day, learn a lot. The candidate will reveal all kinds of things about themselves and their motives, and that might turn up a really big red flag.
For instance, they could say something like, “I’m not really interested in this job. I just wanted a free trip to Chicago to see my sister. I’m going on this tour with you because they want me to do the tour.” Or the candidate may treat the realtor as beneath them or act cocky and abrasive. That’s not the type of person that you want to hire. They’re not humble and they’re not coachable. They don’t have the traits that make a team player.
Another possibility: run errands together. I’ve heard of people trying this. The recruiter says, “I’ve got to go pick up my kids from soccer practice. I’ve got a time crunch. Do you mind if we go in the car and talk there?” You might get to see how they interact with kids. You’re trying to pick up on some cues.
This step is not a common practice, but more and more hiring groups are doing it. It’s becoming more and more utilized because people are seeing the value in it. Many hiring managers have said, “If I would have done this step, I would have saved myself so much of a headache, because I would have realized this person was toxic and I would have never let him in the building.” It’s highly under-utilized, and it might be tricky to try to figure out how you’re going to do it. But come up with a way that you can sneak it in, especially for a higher-level position that is going to be interacting with a lot of patients, a lot of team members, and be a face for your organization. You don’t want to skip this step.