Carolyn Christie

I constantly check in with myself. If I find myself wanting to check my computer or look at my phone, I know I am not listening to the jobseeker speak, and therefore it would be a waste of both of our time. When I am speaking to candidates, recruiting, or coaching, I shut down other items that would tempt me to be distracted. I've worked really hard on staying in the moment. Not anticipating some incredible response, of what "I am going to say".. I used to think about my response far too much, and I would miss half of what the other individual was saying. Active listening, is listening to understand. Not listening to respond. JobSeekers need individuals that will listen more, and talk less.

A tailored approach is super important. Especially with the world of AI where everything is starting to be super general and automated. I cannot even count how many times I get a reach out that says “we want to talk to you about your current experience with Addison Group, a company I have not been at for several years. If you are going to put in the effort to do cold outreach at the very minimum make sure the detail in your message is up to date and accurate.

Yesssss so true!!! Now that’s a win!

You cannot keep everyone happy that is the first thing you need to accept. There will always be a list of highest priorities, and not every hiring manager will be #1 on the priority list. Most of them understand this. The key is to be transparent to them about where they are on the priority list. It is also natural for us to try to people please them all by giving them false hope/false promises. I’d say stick to honest communication and avoid the temptation to over promise. Frequent communication Direct and transparent where they lie in list of priorities And paint a picture of realistic deadlines. It ain’t easy to please them all but you can get pretty darn close!

Being laid off is incredibly intense. It is normal to experience Denial Anger Sadness Irritability You may not even know what you’re feeling. I think we get into a habit of getting laid off, not processing it, not giving ourselves the time to process it because we nervously need to get a new position. But sometimes it shows up that we haven’t processed our emotions in an interview. Write your employer a letter- but do not send it. Write about how your feeling, the anger the sadness all the emotion. Pretend to send it, and try to let it go. If you don’t heal from the past you’ll bleed on the next employer. And it really is something that needs to be processed, you are allowed to feel all that you feel.

I would consider the "why?" Why might the candidate be confrontational? Perhaps there was a miscommunication? Or confusion? When you consider what is going on from the candidates perspective, it is easier to stay cool, calm, and professional. The one that is the hiring manager or the interviewer, should always be poised and professional, as well as friendly regardless of the demeanor of the candidate.