I can’t tell you how often I interview someone who clearly hasn’t done their research. To go into any meeting without a proper background check is downright inexcusable. Interviews, sales pitches, networking meet and greets – each requires its own requisite research to give yourself the proper context that will help guide and shape your conversation.
When it comes to interviews, how can you expect to speak intelligently about why you want to work for the company if you don’t know the first thing about what they do? This is why I always ask candidates to give me the quick elevator pitch. While I don’t expect a granular understanding of each the products and services, a base understanding of “what we do” is paramount.
Furthermore, asking candidates to give me their pitch in two sentences or less (and in under 10 seconds) shows me a couple more things. First, it shows me the candidate knows how to follow directions. As much as creative business folks want to think outside the box, there are often times it is more important to follow directions — and I need to know you have the capability to do so. Again, it’s amazing how often people cannot.
Second, it shows me the candidate is able to decipher what is the most important information and communicate it both clearly and concisely. People have a tendency, especially in interviews, to over-explain. They do so either because of nerves, or because they want you to think they are an expert. The constrained elevator pitch forces them to be hyper-efficient with their words. If you’re looking for efficient workers, this can tell you a lot.
Aryeh Carni
ARYEH CARNI 