LOOK INSIDE THEIR CAR
one man’s sanctuary is another man’s pigsty
We all know the old story about the landlord who sneaks out to the curb to look inside the prospective tenant’s car before letting them sign the lease. He’s applying the “how you do anything is how you do everything” model to his particular scenario:
How this tenant takes care of their car is how they’ll take care of my house.
5 weeks’ grime on the paint? Fast food wrappers on the floor? Mismatched bald tires? It’s a no-go.
It’s not that this prospective tenant is lying when they tell the landlord how respectful and meticulous they are. It’s just that their definition of “meticulous” is different.
We use the “look inside their car” rule in recruiting too. Not exactly, but a version of it.
We might have a candidate tell us that their approach is “highly organized.” OK, but compared to what? “My leadership style is kind and empathetic.” OK, but do your employees think so?
Learning who someone is is almost never a matter of objective truth, and almost always a matter of understanding differing standards. Perception is the variable.
What candidates say about themselves is important. But much more revealing is what others say.
Who recommended them? What do their stories inadvertently convey about them? How do their references describe them? Do we see indicators of kindness, order, agency?
When you make a commodity hire, you’re hiring a skill set. When you make a high-stakes hire, you’re hiring the full person.
Make sure you look inside their car.
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