Interviewers: Don't just vet candidates; sell them

There is no shortage of advice out there for job-seekers on how to interview — books, articles, even unsolicited comments at cocktail parties.

But what about advice for the interviewer? That is not as plentiful.

In fact, for a long time, many interviewers simply assumed their job was to vet candidates for skills and pick the best. Those days are gone. Though the economy has slowed down recently, unemployment remains very low.

Quality candidates, the kind you should want at your company, still have their pick of opportunities. As an interviewer, you need to do more than vet them. You need to sell them.

Before investigating how to do this, let's take a quick look at the economy and job market.

The big news in September was the Federal Reserve holding interest rates steady at its most recent meeting, but what unsettled some was the wording with which the Fed couched this announcement.

By hinting that a rate increase could still come later this year, and that rates may remain higher for longer than previously anticipated, Fed Chair Jerome Powell stoked uncertainty about whether the "soft landing" he is trying for will be successful.

The most recent labor report showed the U.S. economy creating 187,000 new jobs in August. This was the same as was initially reported for July, though that number was later lowered to 157,000 in one of those pesky "revisions."

Despite August's decent new jobs number, an increase in job seekers drove the unemployment rate up to 3.8%, from 3.5%.

The most recent industry numbers show employment in U.S. rubber product manufacturing dropping slightly to 136,100 in July, from 136,400 (revised) in June. Likewise, employment in tire manufacturing fell slightly to 59,000 in July, from 59,400 (revised) in June.

What does it all mean?

While there may be signs of a little economic softening, the labor market remains tight, historically speaking. In this environment, hiring managers need to stay on top of their game to land better candidates than the competition.

Let's look at how to do that.

Worthy candidates will put their best foot forward in an interview. As a hiring manager or interviewer, you should do the same for your company.

My firm handles recruiting for a lot of businesses in the industrial space, and you wouldn't believe how often we find managers who have no idea how to interview and sometimes even are rude to candidates. This is not the way to land top-tier employees.

Some things should go without saying, such as being punctual and friendly, showing an interest in the candidate's professional and personal goals, and being transparent about the details of the job.

Regarding the latter, some states, such as New York, are now requiring employers to post compensation ranges in job advertisements. I recommend embracing this kind of transparency rather than fighting it.

And if you really want to supercharge your interviewing game, I suggest going beyond transparency by selling the candidate on your opportunity first — getting them excited about the possibility of working for your firm — and then vetting them for qualifications.

That does not mean being pushy, but it does mean thoroughly understanding both your firm and the job opening in question.

Think of it in terms of value proposition. What is the company's value proposition to the market? In other words, why do customers want to do business with it?

And what is the value proposition of the company to its employees? Why do they want to work there? Can you demonstrate this with retention data or anecdotal observations of a thriving and enjoyable culture?

By selling the candidate on the value of the company and the open position, you will pave the way for them to demonstrate their value proposition to the company. Why would the company want to pick them from among all the other candidates?

As an interviewer, that is the position you want to be in.

Mike Cioffi is the founder of Tire Talent, a boutique recruiting agency dedicated to our industry. You can reach him directly at [email protected].