Juan had been through six corporate interviews with one of our clients. They were being phenomenally careful and have put him as well as three other candidates through the ringer. It was one of the most important jobs in the company, traveling internationally, and establishing the company’s presence around the world. So, admittedly, it was understandable that they were being so careful.
According to the Executive Vice President, all three candidates were really equal, and it was going to come down to one last interview with the CEO. All three candidates were to spend about one hour each in a video call with the CEO. Before the final interview, I can’t really say that our candidate, Juan, was ranked one, two or three. The direct hiring authority told me after the interview that Juan was a pretty distant second. But Juan got hired.
Here’s why. The CEO asked Juan what impressed him about the company. Juan revealed to him that he had spent six hours doing an online tutorial concerning the software products the company developed. He explained to the CEO exactly how he would introduce it to the countries he was going to be responsible for. That sealed the deal for Juan.
It was a little thing, but it made a really big difference. The company is thrilled and Juan has a phenomenal new job.
