Youre Qualified, But Do They Like You

Youre Qualified, But Do They Like YouDo They Like You?Youre Qualified, But Do They Like YouEmotions make up the fabric of all relationships theyre woven through every human interaction, including hiring. The job seekers emotional journey is well known anticipation, disappointment, trepidation, uncertainty, elation but have you ever considered the highs and lows that interviewers undergo during the hiring dance? Yes, interviewers experience their own stresses and anxieties. And the most qualified candidate is never the one they hire. Rather, the candidate who gets the offer is the one who makes the strongest emotional connection with the interviewers.With more than 20 years in the hiring game, Ive witnessed thousands of interviewing cycles. Although a hiring process might start with a specific, written job description that spells out exactly what qualifications the ideal candidate should have, there is no perfect candidate. The final hiring decision is filled with the emotions, illu sions, and opinions of the interviewing team.Interviewers are EmotionalHiring managers and interviewers experience a range of increased emotions as the hiring process unfolds from writing the job description and reading resumes to conducting phone screens, interviewing face-to-face, and finally, delivering job offers. Their assignment is to find a qualified candidate who can not only do the job, but be accepted by and complement the people already in place.At the root of these emotions is the fact that hiring the best applicants is part of the interviewers and hiring managers job, and theyll be judged on how well they do it. If the company hires you based on their recommendation, and you turn out to be a badeanstalt employee, it reflects poorly on them. So as an applicant, part of what you need to convey is that you will make them look good.They Have to Like You Job applicants often feel theyre competing with a perfectly qualified ghost candidate. Rest assured, this perfect candidat e does not exist. Even the job description is not analytical its simply a best guess of what qualifications a person should have to do a particular job well. It might have been written by an HR person who doesnt understand the job. It might have been written five years ago. It may or may not reflect the reality of the job today.Companies perpetuate the illusion of the perfect applicant by rejecting candidates with phrases like, We found a stronger candidate for this position. When you dont get the offer, despite excellent qualifications, the truth is that the interviewers chose someone they like better. That doesnt mean youre inherently less likable than the person they hired it just means they established a better rapport with the other candidate. (Ill write about techniques for building rapport in another post.)The mistake most applicants make is assuming the interview process is logical and analytical. In reality, its filled with the emotions of every individual you interact with along the way. Encourage the interviewers to like you by building rapport with each of them. If they do like you, youve got more than a ghost of a mglichkeit of getting the job.