Once, I had an attorney for a client. I asked him to teach me something about being a lawyer that most people didn’t know. He said lawyers never ask a question they don’t already know the answer to.
Unfortunately, this made me think about the hiring managers who ask the most thoughtless questions and say the most careless things, often without realizing they’re speaking to talent who could just as easily walk into the competition and take business with them.
For example, I once interviewed with the owners of a small radio cluster. Everything went well for 30 minutes until after talking about my industry experience, these questions emerged:
- So, what are you looking for with us?
- How do you see yourself fitting in here?
- Why did you apply for more than one position?
I’m from the South, where blunt sarcasm is a second language.
I’m looking for a job with your company, otherwise, I would not have submitted my resume.
To use your own words to address the remaining questions: you said a moment ago that I have tremendous experience in advertising, marketing, broadcasting, journalism, and newscasting – all of which are areas within your company that need to grow.
The question is not how I see myself fitting in here, but rather how do you see me fitting in here? Lastly, I applied for more than one role because, per your own statement, I have the knowledge, skills, and ability to fill multiple positions.
Have you also felt this level of sarcasm and frustration? I don’t know what causes interviewers to ask such questions, though I do see a parallel between this interview and some sales calls when the prospect pulls out that “I need to talk with…,” or whatever it is they need to do, which is a complete smoke screen.
When you are interviewing someone never use phrases like these at or toward the end of the interview like “You have so much more experience than anyone who’s applied for this role,” or “I have to say, you seem very overqualified to take on this role,” or “I’m really looking for someone who is just out of journalism school,” or “I typically hire someone who was raised here instead of who moved here.” (I heard that one about 20 years ago.) When these come out at or toward the end, it only appears like nothing more than a smoke screen.
Essentially, the interviewee sees you trying to think of a creative (read: non-lawsuit-way) of saying I don’t want to hire you.
Always remember, job candidates can read you, and they know when your body language and words don’t align. Anytime you are sitting across from someone who has talent, and they have applied to be a part of your team, do not waste their time by asking them why they applied to your company. They submitted the application because they wanted the position. They applied because they believe they are the best candidate for the role. Maybe they have more talent in a certain area than you do. So what? Perhaps they can do the job better than anyone else who is currently on staff. Okay? And?
What are you afraid of? Everyone else not liking the new person because they have more experience than the last person you hired? (Geez, not exactly a winning mindset…)
Or better yet: Are you afraid that the other writers will be intimidated that the new journalist won’t be fresh out of college and then won’t need to be trained and then they can jump right in and start writing? (Again, sounds pretty crazy, doesn’t it?)
Wait, you have way more experience for this role, and we won’t have to train you as much as we would someone who has never done this before. That also means you are more likely to be successful faster. Nope, can’t hire you. (You see a pattern emerging?)
Put any objection you may have thrown out to someone in an interview into a sentence like one of the ones above and you’ll see they make no sense. Regardless of the position for which you are interviewing, the person sitting across from you is there because they want to be there, they chose to be there, they believe they are the best person to help you, your team, and your company grow. Show them and give them the respect they deserve by asking them questions that will allow them to grow and prosper as an individual – whether it’s with your company or with your competitor down the street.
Then again, it’s your station. If you are okay languishing in mediocrity, continue doing what you’ve always done and expect different results. Einstein called that insanity. So do I.
Bottom Line: The Interview is a Candidate’s First Impression of You and Your Company. Ignorant Questions Asked Disrespectfully Drives Talent Away. Attract Talent Thoughtfully or Risk Losing Them to Your Competition.
James,
This is a fantastic article. You’re hitting a nerve here—and it’s an important subject: Interviewing
Hiring people who will add value to the organization is a critical part of a radio station’s success, but it’s almost comical what really goes on out there and the negative impact is nothing to laugh at.
It’s safe to say that people are inherently bad at evaluating other people. Interviewing effectively is a skill and very few people have that skill. I’ve made some questionable hires myself over the years and it forced me to take a hard look at my lackluster (meaning: terrible) interviewing process. I’m in no position to hand out any advice about it, but I started to look for people who had the heart, guts and desire to succeed…because you can’t train that. They have to have that when they walk through the door. If they have that, you can teach them the rest. If they don’t, you’ll have a problem. So, I asked questions that gave them a chance to talk about how their “will to succeed” helped them solve a problem.
Once they’re hired, you have to have an effective process to train them. That’s where otherwise good solid hires fail. They’re never trained properly. They’re tossed into the chaos of (whatever radio department they join) and expected to figure it out. I literally think a fifth grader could handle any position inside a radio station, but their success would hinge on what happened after they were hired. How do you help them, support them, teach them and empower them for success once they join the station? I know this is another subject entirely, but they’re so connected, it’s hard to not mention it.
Hire people with the right mindset, then fully support their journey to learn and master the position. How often does this actually happen? I think we both know the answer to that because it’s showing up in the first quarter 2025 earnings reports. You can’t get this wrong over and over, then expect to make your budgets. Every management decsion you make will eventially show up in your revenue pacing report and those reports don’t lie.
Who’s great at interviewing? Who’s great at helping their new hires succeed? The companies that are growing thier revenue. Pacing reports are the ultimate, unbiased gauge of success.
If you want to succeed, get better at interviewing. Get better at training. Get better at spotting and filtering out incompetence and imposters before they infect your company and if you inherited some untrainable duds, get better at sending them over to your competitors.
Great artcle, James. Thank you!
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