Interviews and the Art of Story -- Part III "The Crux of the Interview"

Read Part I
Read Part II

The Crux
As I continued my chat with Edward, I realized I had a bit to learn too. While coaching him to interview, I found I was coaching myself to better conduct interviews…

I needed to take Edward back to the place in his story where his eyes lit up, where his passion stirred, where his passion flickered – because I had missed it. I had missed his unique art.

“Your challenge, Edward, is to find the moment you made a decision, took an action, or otherwise changed the direction of the story. Then, identify the unique perspective, approach, or risk you took. Focus 80% of your story here, explaining how and why your uniqueness led you to your conclusion. THAT is your art. That is what you need to tell the interviewer. That is what makes you special. And that seemingly small part is the only part that really matters. THAT is exactly the art every organization needs.”

The challenge as an interviewer is to realize that the greatness of a candidate, his art, is often hidden by the nature of his story. The crux of his story is exactly the part that we tend to gloss over in an interview, because that is the place your candidate neglects to expound.

He tells us the situation, the action, and the result, (thank you Kelley Business School for S.A.R.) but fails to describe why he took the action at hand. He wrongfully assumes any other person would have taken the same action, and thus neglects to realize his own unique talent because he has been conditioned otherwise, see White Collar: The American Middle Classes (or he’s trying to hide his lack of art altogether). Will you recognize it?

Each and every time you simply move on to the next question without asking the “Why?” and discovering the unique perspective of the passionate artist, you neglect the very art of this person – the very art your company desperately needs.

THAT unique perspective is what your organization needs. What you need. THAT is what transforms your entire business unit, influences your whole company – encourages growth, creativity, passion, and art.

Stop looking to fill open positions with the “right” fit, and instead seek out the unique art of a person that will transform your company. Discover the true art of your candidate by awakening his passion through question and uncover his unique perspective through the crux.

That is your art, and it all starts with identifying and exploiting the ever-elusive crux of the interview.