Interviewing

So one of my jobs at work is interviewing potential new employees. Today was one of those days - I brought in a small parade of job candidates and spent 45 minutes getting to know each one.
I have to say that a statistic I read many years ago pops into mind at times like this. I think I read that something like 20% of the population has a mental illness. It is never so apparent to me as when I do interviews.
With the age of the internet, with information literally at your fingertips, people aught to 'know' how to interview. There are some conventions to it. Wash your hair. Put on clean clothing. Brush your teeth. Think a bit about your life, and what you would like to tell the employer. Maybe live on the edge and do a little research on the place. Look interested. Remember that it isn't a test to see how good you interview, its a chance to talk about who you are and who the company is and see if it would be a nice fit.
of course the interview process is fraught with difficulties on both sides. I am the middle-man - the person who helps other people find good candidates. I am constantly asked why they have to do two interviews, why they need to talk to soo many people, why they have ot invest so much time. When I tell them it costs half a year's wages if they screw it up, they look doubtful. They minimize the work these people do for them. They don't think about what they really need and want. They tend to try to hire people they would like to go out to coffee with and discuss a great book together.
We survived today's intervews only to be left with no clear winner. So the process of elimination began with us trying to contact references. This is another area where people mess up. Make sure you have good #s for your former employers. Today I made 6 phone calls, and I got not a single reference. I did find two numbers that worked, but both people were out of town for the week.
Hiring season is at hand. This is the beginning of lots and lots of interviews, reference checks, coaching and discussion. After having sounded so negative above, I wills ay that people do do it right. Unfortunately out of the 2 dozen applications on this job, only a handful did. Then again, I only need one great candidate to say 'yes'!
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And on a personal note, today is Emma's day to fall down. Two is getting more and more charming by the day. Today Emma stood on my bed and when I tapped her just barely on the chest with a finger she fell into my pillows laughing hysterically. She would get back up and wait for me to do it again. If I didn't comply, she'd fall anyway and laugh hysterically once more. It was terrific therapy! There is nothing better then the clear free laugh of a two year old....
Good night!