Front

Come in, sit down.  Thank you.  Now to start with, in your own words, explain to us what you can bring to this company...

Most interviews I`ve attended seem to start this way.  It`s straight in there with a predictable question that lets the candidate settle down and talk while at the same time not letting them off too lightly.  Afterwards, a few carefully crafted questions and close attention to the answers - and some probing, if necessary - will decide if the person sitting there is what they claim to be. 

Presentation is always a key issue - how someone is dressed, their body language and posture. It's how others will see them that is important, and this is displayed there and then, to the interviewers, in those brief moments. And that's what an interview is, it's a presentation.

Why do you think it is that some people do better than others, despite being similarly qualified? 

Experience in the role they are applying for has got to be a factor but even if you go for a job you are really comfortable with, there are no guarantees.  Sometimes it`s claimed that prejudice by the interviewing panel is a factor, but I can`t see it in this day and age.  No, there is more to it than that: for a person to be right, there`s something needed that`s fundamental.

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I`ve always felt it a complement, the invitation to sit on an interview panel, but it`s never easy choosing exactly the right person for a job – whatever that job might be.  We were seeing five candidates for a single position on the fleet sales team.  With me were David, a friendly twenty something Humanities graduate from Human Resources and Amanda, a business-like, elegant and charming, attractive thirty something who heads one of the sales teams.  A room had been set aside on the top floor of the main building - which could not be farther from my office - so that we wouldn`t be disturbed by too much `passing traffic` in the corridor outside.

We settled ourselves behind the long, dark wood table, sinking into the leather swivel recliners.  I looked down at my feet and at the deep, deep red carpet that enveloped the soles of my shoes.  The walls were covered in a heavy paper and there were several patterned glass lamps on brass arms jotted about.  The windows behind our chairs were hung with thick net curtains that let light in but showed nothing of the world outside.  Anyone coming for an interview today, I thought, would be left in no doubt as to the standard at which they would be expected to operate, or the overall standing of the company they were seeking to join. It wasn`t long after we were seated that one of the bosses` PAs, who was acting as usher and general organizer for the day, showed in the first candidate.

CANDIDATE 1

Fergus was a likeable character.  In his early thirties he had been in sales for a number of years, mostly in trucks and plant machinery.  I noticed that although he was well groomed and obviously comfortable in a suit, the cracks in the skin of his hands were engrained with traces of oil. This was a man who was hands-on, mechanically and no amount of scrubbing would get rid of the evidence. I opened the interview with questions that established Fergus knew his trucks from the ground up and had an excellent understanding of vehicle technology. David asked him about behaviour in the workplace and equal opportunities, questions which he dealt with very well.  Amanda probed his track record and his reason for change, as he was apparently successful in his current job. He wanted, he said openly, to be nearer home and family and to travel less, both of which would come with the job we were advertising.  Amanda looked unimpressed and David appeared to come over a bit emotional.  As for myself, I could see the logic of Fergus`s motives.

Amanda persisted a bit more with Fergus`s commitment and lightened a little when more on the extent of his performance and ability was revealed.  He had (with supporting documents to prove his claims) a number of fleet customers with whom he had developed good relations, securing long term plant and truck purchasing contacts as well as servicing options.  Towards the end, both David and Amanda looked to me for any final questions before we let Fergus go.  I had one.

“Considering the aesthetics of truck cab design, and ignoring technology and any practical considerations, what do you think are the most important aspects of its exterior appearance?” 

Fergus looked lost.  He thought for a short while and then mumbled a bit saying he didn`t really know.  Colour, he mentioned, eventually.  But that was it, no more – he had no real thoughts on the matter.

When he had left us we tidied up our notes, the ones we would need for a selection decision meeting scheduled for the following morning, and awaited the next candidate.   All three of us had agreed not to discuss the interviews before the meeting but as we sat there, Amanda turned to me and asked where my final question had come from.  When I said all would be revealed, I was rebuked, rather nicely, and told I shouldn`t be allowed out of my `den`.

What I`d had in mind was to see if Fergus had a concept of what makes something appealing to look at.  I wanted to know if he understood why a prospective customer might see a truck, like the look of it but not know why.  I wanted to see if Fergus could appreciate a truck beyond the type of gearbox it was fitted with and therefore understand his customers better.  They might not know why they find certain styles appealing but if he did, it would be a great advantage.   

CANDIDATE 2

Perry was an Old Etonian; well that type anyway.  He was a pleasant enough bloke who had turned out in a green sports jacket, light cream shirt, blue flannel trousers, brown brogues and the sort of striped tie that looks like it should represent  something old and established – a regiment or ancient cricket club, perhaps.  A colourful hanky draped from the single breast pocket of his jacket.  There were bulges everywhere - a packet of cigarettes in a front trouser pocket and a wallet in the back; a loose bit of paper poked out from the top of a shirt pocket, visible below his unbuttoned jacket; and something long and bulky was tucked in under the jacket itself, probably a newspaper.

Perry was a bit flippant with David who was soon fazed by some enthusiastically delivered but pretty non committal views on correctness.  Amanda, though, was charmed.   She seemed less interested in Perry`s sales performance than she was with his contacts, both personal and professional.  Apparently, he conducted a lot of his business at the races or at events like the Henley regatta.

He didn`t falter when I asked about basic technology; the type of things you`d expect any competent truck salesman to know.  He knew what people wanted, over and above the practical consideration of productivity and correctly pointed out that some customers were looking for an image.  I was impressed.

Amanda continued with Perry, but now much in the same way she had done with Fergus, asking him to detail his customer base and sales figures.  He was vague to say the least. David asked about his family; Perry lacked concentration and questions had to be repeated.  Once again, it was I who had the last question.

“Why do you think symmetry is so important in truck design?”

Perry answered nearly straight away and not unpredictably.  Symmetry was essential in all vehicles, he told us.  They must be the same on one side as they are on the other or they`d be all over the place, different forces pulling on one side than on the other.  He was right, of course but it wasn`t the answer I wanted.

Symmetry is everywhere - and present in nearly all vehicles

Afterward, Amanda frowned at me and David said he hoped I had good reasons for asking these questions, as interview records are scrutinized in the event of a complaint. I assured him I had.  I just wanted the oddly bulging, variety of colour called Perry to tell me just one thing that a customer saw when he looked at a truck - with his own two eyes – before deciding if it fitted their `image`.

CANDIDATE 3

Steve (not Stephen, he corrected me) was up next.  He breezed in confidently and repositioned his chair a good two feet farther away from us before sitting on it, he was so quick we hadn`t chance to actually ask him to sit down.  When he spoke, Steve leant forward, resting his left elbow on his left leg, close to the knee.  It made him look as if he should have been smoking a cigarette - while plotting something. Dressed in a woollen, pin stripped suite (navy), highly polished black shoes and a light coloured shirt with the biggest cuffs I`d seen since Great Expectations was last serialised on the box, Steve looked smart.  Newly cut hair and expensive looking watch completed the impression of someone who spent money on the way they looked - and liked what they saw in the mirror.

His answers to some of David`s questions would have, at one time, been considered by some to be funny, but now they were unacceptable.  I can`t repeat them here.  Amanda concentrated on second hand sales, as this represented a considerable part of Steve`s extensive experience in the business.  He`d been in the game a long time, he proudly announced, and boasted he could sell sand to the Arabs.  Quick turn over was his forte, get `em in, get `em out his mantra, it drove him, he said.

We were all impressed with Steve`s earnings. If he were to be believed, in the last twelve months he had surpassed anything most of our current sales staff could expect. Amanda pursued this with him but not until after I had asked a question.

“You have taken an old Volvo F88 as part exchange from an operator that now has no desire to keep a historic vehicle.  How would you dispose of it?”

Steve was in no doubt that he could `off load` such a truck in little time.  He was right when he said it would suit a larger firm that was looking for a novelty vehicle but he also thought an owner driver might be `persuaded` to buy it.  There were young people out there who were `into` the retro image, he said.  When I asked how he would assess their naivety, to make sure they fully understood the implications of running such an old vehicle, he smiled, patronizingly. In his opinion, the smile continued, the customer was always right.

Certain vehicles help ctreate an image - but they must complement the owner

He left us after Amanda had got the details she wanted.  I was then interviewed briefly on what a Volvo F88 actually was.  I sighed, teasingly.  I was not, however, so light with my view of Steve – sharp suite, sharp practice, and it showed.  Just because something looks good doesn`t mean there isn`t a problem underneath that could cause grief in the long term.  A 1970`s built F88 would, in good condition, be an eye catcher and undoubtedly fit a certain image.  These old vehicles are great to see but could they be productive? There`s a lot against them: parts, reliability, payload, power, comfort and low emission zones, the list goes on.  Experienced operators, large or small, know their business but some of the less worldly would need a bit of investigation or they could end up with a commercial pup. 

Old vehicles can be an eye catcher - but are seldom productive by today`s standards.  They have harder lines that reflect a different era.

There was a bit of a break before the next candidate was ushered in and sitting before us.  We hadn`t, as agreed, discussed any of the previous three but I was still keen to find out what the others were thinking, particularly about Steve.  It may be, I thought, as the only sales professional on the panel, Amanda would see him differently - someone whose skill could be `modernized`.  I would just have to wait to find out.

CANDIDATE 4

David entered the room slowly and a little nervously, adjusting his tie as he did.  He waited to be asked to sit down and then sat with his hands on his knees, so that his arms were straight.  That was the last time, I realized many minutes later when the interview was all but over, that I consciously noticed his appearance.  David was smart but nondescript in every way.  He looked like someone who worked behind the counter at a building society; someone you would speak to on and off for years but then be unable to describe. Average, you would say, when the police asked after you`d seen him leg-it with all the customers savings.

David didn`t seem the leg-it with someone else’s cash type.  A graphic design graduate and now truck salesman, he had a good record and lots of experience, despite being only thirty years old. Our David, for only the second time that day, looked pleased and Amanda had little to ask – documents were produced to prove all his claims with references to offer further support.  He wanted to move to a bigger firm because of the opportunities it would bring.

When I asked about design, David spoke of technological advances in materials science and engineering and the more aerodynamic, rounded and softer appearance this allowed.  When I asked about symmetry, David compared trucks to many other objects and, interestingly, the human form.  It`s what we expect because that`s what we are like, he suggested. 

Symmetry is what we like to see in a person`s face - the first thing we notice on meeting. To be acceptable and even attractive, maximum symmetry is desireable

David was our shortest interview – he was just so unremarkable, but at the same time, complete.  We didn`t have to tease anything out of him, so he didn`t take long.  Interviewing him wasn`t interesting, disappointing or enjoyable, it just happened. I got the last question again, although this time I sensed a feeling of relief from the other panel members.

“David, describe power?”

For the first time since just after he had sat down in front of us, I once again became aware of his appearance.  David fidgeted a little, shuffling on his seat.  He sat on his hands, child like, I thought, before answering. High powered trucks climb hills much better than low powered ones; some trucks have 700 horsepower engines; it`s to do with torque.  He was faltering.  They`re just bigger engines, really.  He stalled.  Then, obviously disappointed with his final performance, he left.

It wasn`t an unfair question because there are many ways to answer it, I told my two colleagues.  But selling trucks requires knowledge of this type and specifying power is a big part of any truck purchase.  It wasn`t that he couldn`t answer the question, because he did in a way, it was the way he did it.  David gave a weak answer, accompanied by all the signs that said he was not comfortable with it.

CANDIDATE 5

Miles was our last for the day and it was after lunch before we got to see him. The wait hadn`t had any effect on him at all and he entered the room with a show of indifference, as if this meeting was one where we should feel under pressure, not him.  Miles was in control, or so it appeared. As soon as he walked in I heard a slight, whimpering sigh from Amanda, who was sitting next to me on my left. Miles, I would say, had film star good looks, and he obviously knew it.  So it was no surprise to him, in fact he probably expected it, that Amanda flushed a little and then flustered when she opened the interview. 

I don`t think Amanda even heard the answers to the questions David and I put to Miles; she was too busy covertly grooming herself.  When it came to interrogating his track record in sales, however, she was the boss again and he got the grilling everyone else who had sat before us received.   David was obviously not unhappy with him and as far as I was concerned, technology wise, he was up to par.  Miles was, on paper, a good candidate but I sensed an air about him of mild indignation.     

David delved into Miles' family life for a short while and then, with nothing coming from a dreamy Amanda, the interview was set to close.  I, though, had one final question.

“What would you say makes a truck good looking?”

 "What?" Miles sounded either offended or confused; but probably both. I repeated the question and explained that customers often express an opinion on a truck`s looks. What was his opinion?  Amanda was scowling, David was shaking his head and all three of them were staring at me, in silence.  The interview of Miles was, apparently, over.

We reconvened the following morning having not spoken since Miles` interview had closed – Amanda stormed off and David, too embarrassed I think to have confronted me, had left with her.  I could hear their muffled conversation as they descended the stairs.   But by now she had recovered her good humour and resigned despair of `those that live in the basement with their calculators`.  The candidate selection meeting began and Amanda started with me.

“Well, TW”, she said, “we`ve all had time to go through our notes, who looks good to you”?