Comments on: Who Needs a Job Interview? Just Shake Hands and Make Your Decision

By: laurence haughton

laurence haughton — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 18:53:03 +0000

There are also many examples of “reasoned decisions backed up by documentation” that cost companies thousands or millions. (Snapple decisions) Heuristics are the real culprit.
Intuiton (gut) can add a “reasoned and documented” value if you only figure out how to avoid the pitfalls. (One pitfall is allowing intuition to be the only factor you consider.)

By: Michael Haberman

Michael Haberman — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 18:18:59 +0000

I have no problem in using gut decisions to make friends, though I bet all of us can think of people who we may have intially decided they were a “geek” yet we found out later they were someone we wanted to be associated with. In the workplace, however, gut decisions can cost you thousands or millions of dollars, so I would like my managers to be making reasoned decisions backed up by documentation so my backside does not get reemed.

By: laurence haughton

laurence haughton — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 18:18:19 +0000

I think you have to split gut (or intuition) from heuristic decision making.

There are shortcuts in reasoning that are traps. These heuristics cause people to fall for con jobs. They are well documented. (Several good books- not by Gladwell)

But real intuition is something else, where the person allows the other side of the brain to be heard above the bias and traps of the calculating side. Women seem to often have good intuitions. I suggest managers hear first impressions from a woman in the hiring process. There are steps to this to get the best input but in general an intuitive woman is a big help in avoiding bad hires.

By: laurence haughton

laurence haughton — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 18:01:12 +0000

Contempt is a complex reaction. Underneath contempt could be attitudes of self-satisfaction and smugness. Or it could be part of a strong, creative, intense contributor who lacks a little perspective.

So it depends on two things, how many things about the job are likely to cause this person to show “contempt” and the manager’s abiltiy to work with the kind of person who shows contempt.

But either way it’s great to get someone to reveal so much about themselves before you hire them.

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 17:30:50 +0000

That must be why my gut impression of nearly everyone is negative. It’s my psychological defense mechanism against getting conned

By: Michael Haberman

Michael Haberman — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 17:27:07 +0000

Another point I wanted to make about the gut feeling. There is a group of people who take great advantage of the fact that most of us make gut level decisions all the time. They are called “con artists.” And they appear all the time in the job place. A good example was Frank Abagnale, Jr., as portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in Catch Me if You Can. Someone using behavioral interviewing at that time may have been able to determine he did not have the experience he said he did. But he was able to convince people he was a doctor, a lawyer, co-pilot etc. because he was so likeable and people had a good “gut” feeling about him.

By: Mike Haberman

Mike Haberman — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 17:20:07 +0000

The “gut” has long been used in the interview process and will long be used. The problem is while some people are astute at “reading” someone, others are not and substitute their biases for their gut feeling. And since in the interview process there is a legal requirement of being unbiased, one that you must be able to substaniate when asked, using your gut solely to make the decision does not “cut the mustard.” Thus, the behavioral interviewing method, for which contempt was shown, was developed to help the interviewer produce a documentable method based on work related requirements. If properly used it does not ignore your gut, but it helps you possibly get over your biases and your gut is used to guide the questioning. It also provides you a legal defense in case the person being evaluated does not agree with your gut assessment.

By: J

Fri, 06 Oct 2006 16:58:19 +0000

“So should interview methods that cause a candidate to reveal their “contempt” – and other attitudes”

Is contempt for irrelevant, paper shuffling busywork (I mean the self imposed kind)a negative or positive attribute in business?

By: laurence haughton

laurence haughton — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 16:45:07 +0000

Getting the first impression (from someone who has great gut instincts or intuition) should be part of every hiring decision. (So should interview methods that cause a candidate to reveal their “contempt” – and other attitudes.)

By: J

Fri, 06 Oct 2006 14:07:03 +0000

Great post, and timely for me. I had an interview yesterday for a position I’d like (but don’t need), and the main thing running through my mind during the personnel interview – one of those “tell me about a time when…” things – was “I hope my contempt for this method isn’t too obvious”.