Even if you landed your dream job, all of us at some point in our lives will have to go through some sort of an interview. It can be tough for the interviewer and the interviewee. The interviewer spends most of the conversation hoping there’s something about you that is going to make them want to hire you. The interviewee spends most of the conversation wondering “how they’re doing.” As the person who gets to spend most of his time as the interviewer now, I’m always looking for ways to get better at interviewing. Recently, I was invited to sit in on the hiring process for a full day at a prominent church here in the South. It was an phenomenal experience. There were a dozen or more interviewers and several interviewees a part of the process. Throughout the day there were many many questions asked back and forth through different levels of interviews. Towards the end of the day, the Senior Pastor interrupted only one of the interviews. This was completely unexpected. He puts his hand on the shoulder of the interviewee and asks what I believe is the most important question you can ask anyone as an interviewer: “WHY YOU?”
Why You? Isn’t this the point of the interview? Isn’t the answer to this question what the interviewer and interviewee really want to know. The problem is answering this question can be difficult when you don’t know what value you have brought and can bring to any organization. It’s one thing to tell the head of the HR Department why you would be a good hire. But imagine the CEO of a large company, unexpectedly, interrupting your interview and asking you that question. The great part of this is if you know your value, the question will be easy. I once offered to do some work for free for someone I considered to be a “Big Wig”. I thought, “Well, if I hook him up, he could be a great reference for me.” His response to me was, “If you don’t value yourself, no one else will. Charge me. Something.”
If you’re the interviewee, aim for one goal: Walk away knowing exactly why they should or shouldn’t hire you. If you’re the interviewer… cut them some slack.
P.s. The one interview the Senior Pastor interrupted included the candidate the church hired.
