About to cancel that interview? Think again…

My old man will never ignore a phone call.  He taught me a long time ago that it’s not a good use of time.  Let me explain his reasoning.  You see an incoming call, you’re busy so ignore it, thinking “I’ll call them back”.  Later, you listen to the message, another minute wasted.  When you do call back you get their voicemail as they’re probably talking to the person who answered the phone first time.  The same logic can be applied to moving job interviews.

Why do we cancel interviews in the first place?

In a nutshell, we’re busy.  In leaner economic times marketers have to work harder to keep the cogs turning.  Budgets are reduced, but the requirements stay the same, or increase.  Hiring managers are working hard just to do the day job; keeping projects moving, meeting clients, making plans.  Job seekers are equally under pressure; numbed by the daily rigours, too stressed to think about performing well at the job interview.  Our priorities shift.  We arrange to meet.  We cancel.  Rearrange.  Move again.

 Deciding what’s important to you

If you’re hiring, you don’t interview people you report into, but people who report into you.  So whoever comes into the organisation is there to help you achieve your goals.  By moving the interview you are delaying bringing in the person who will get you out of the fix you’re in.  It’s a bit of a Catch 22, and it happens every day.  What does that say about you as an employer?  “Do they value me as a future colleague?”, “Is there actually a role available?”, “Are they going to be as aloof and disorganised when I actually start working for them?”.

Equally, if you don’t find the time to interview for your next role, how do you climb up the ladder?  The prospective employer thinks “Are they genuinely interested in our agency?”, “Are they going to be reliable?”, “Is this person really right for us?”.  The last 5 years has taught us to become risk-averse, and that applies as much to recruitment as anything else.

Get your priorities in order, and you’ll be fine

The good candidates and the top jobs will go quickly.  It’s people that are the building blocks of a successful business.  So before you move that interview, think about how much that person, or that new job, really means to you.  It might just make you change your mind.

Dan Matthews is the Managing Director of specialist recruiter Daniel Marks