Businesses recruiting new executive staff will spend a lot of time working on the interview process. Finding those top performers who are really going to make a difference requires a lot more than just a face to face question and answer session.
More and more companies today are introducing professional media interviews into their recruitment process and it is not hard to understand why. Putting candidates on the spot can deliver surprising results and show how they are likely to react under pressure. It can also reveal a lot more about them than a standard panel interview or presentation.
Here are six great reasons why your next executive recruitment process needs to include a media interview:
- Testing Knowledge
If you’re going to be interviewed by the media, you really do need to know what you are talking about. Introducing this format into your recruitment process gives you a chance to see how candidates prepare for important activities that have a public face. If they can talk authoritatively on a subject, then they are likely to be able to hold their own in the board room and will come to projects with the right knowledge and skills.
- Out in Front of the Media
There’s a world of difference in being interviewed for a job and having a media interview. It can take many candidates out of their comfort zone. For others it’s a challenge they relish but not necessarily something that they excel at. It’s not unusual for a candidate to show more nerves when being interviewed in this way and it gives your business a good idea of how they are likely to react under more pressure.
- Answering Tough Questions
Most media interviews are designed to illicit some kind of information. Answering tough questions when they’ve just been thrown at you is not easy, even in a normal environment. This can give you an insight into how executive candidates are likely to perform under duress. Will they click into a higher gear of performance or are they likely to crack under the pressure? Can they show empathy while still getting their point of view across?
- Controlling the Narrative of the Interview
How a person controls this kind of interview is also revealing. Experienced interviewees are able to control the narrative, and this is important when there are difficult questions that need answering. All executives will need to take the lead at some point and an assured, relaxed performance might just show they have the personal skill set your company is looking for.
- Clear Messaging
Keeping the message clear while under pressure is another key skill that you may well be looking for in candidates. Whether your business is coping with change or the launch of a new product, speaking in a language that everyone understands prevents misunderstandings from occurring.
- Thinking on Their Feet
A candidate can bring all sorts of qualifications and past experience to the table, but you need to know how they react to unusual situations and whether they can handle changes and think on their feet. A professional media interview can be designed to put that kind of focus onto a candidate, so you can observe how they react. It can be as structured or unstructured as you like to explore how each candidate is able to focus and deliver.
Media Interviews and Recruitment
Using a media interview as part of the hiring process is a key tool to find the right person for the job. The scenario can be created to test them in any way appropriate to your business model and will be very realistic, so you can judge them on how they respond to the situation. From crisis response to product launches the media is an important part of modern business and your executive team need to be able to perform in front of the microphone or camera.
Contact us to discuss the options for a media interview as part of your executive recruitment program today.