Lack of Enthusiasm—a Hiring Red Flag?
In interviews, candidates should be on their best behavior, trying to put their best foot forward and selling themselves as the perfect person for the job. So if you come across someone who is less than enthusiastic in a supply chain job interview, you might see the red flags.
As we talk to potential employees, an interview lets each of us outline our expectations and needs. In these situations, the common interest is the job position, so shared enthusiasm isn’t just desired, it’s required.
Don’t mistake shyness or reserve in a job candidate for a lack of enthusiasm. We’ve all met people who cannot show excitement, even in something as intense as an interview. That doesn’t mean that they cannot demonstrate enthusiasm – but that emotion can come across in different ways.
For example, for a logistics position, your candidate might have a hard time talking about a time when they worked with a team to solve a problem, but ask them about a finer point of coordinating a multi-national shipping schedule and you won’t be able to quiet him down. When we can ask questions related to a candidate’s strengths, and we are more likely to get them to open up – and to show that spark of enthusiasm.
Another tactic we can use is to ask a question about why they want to be hired for the position. It could be that she is passively looking for a new position, but is otherwise happy in her current role. In that case, and especially if the candidate is exactly what you are looking for, it falls upon you to sell your company and to sell them on the position. While rare, that is a possibility, and one that you should look to identify.
On a final note, as interviewers we always have the option to ask, “What makes you enthusiastic about this position?” It is a valuable question for us as interviewers, and it gives the most enthusiastic job seekers a chance to end on a high note.
ZDA offers supply chain businesses advice on attracting the best candidates in logistics, management, distribution and more. Contact us today to make the money you spend on recruitment work for you.