I've been looking at new roles in tech. Some things I've noticed as a candidate this time around...
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Another upside is that I get to learn as I go. I'm not afraid to let each conversation change me. These are my peers. I'm not afraid to be wrong, and to fail, and to learn about myself through the mirror of these interactions.
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And when there's a fit, I'll know it's genuine. If I had the interview mask on, I'd be trying to squeeze myself into a story about who I think I should be. Without the mask, I'm ready to be surprised by what turns me on. In the end, the genuine fit may be something unexpected!
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Being real in interviews also has its downsides. I don't have a perfectly crafted answer for every question. I have to be relaxed enough to improvise. I have to be comfortable pausing for a few seconds sometimes, to discover what I'm going to say. Meditation helps here.
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The biggest downside has surprised me: Most internal recruiters I've talked to have been turned off by my realness. Recruiters want to put people into a box as fast as possible. My approach and my background frustrate that.
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Being real means presenting a nuanced, flawed, learning human. It's harder to box me up and ship me through an interview process. Recruiters don't have time for the nuance. So, my conversations with recruiters have been the least fruitful.
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I'm surprised that recruiters tend to play such a short and transactional game, when it is such a relational role. But that's how the incentives are set up most places. They are gatekeepers. As a result I tend to come away feeling like they missed me entirely.
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You could say I haven't been clear enough about who I am. And there's some truth to that. I resist boxing myself in. I'm working on that. But it can also be true that recruiters generally move too fast to see me.
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On the other hand, the conversations with ICs, managers, and execs have been the most fruitful. Creative, playful, honest. They get me, even when there's not a fit. They are excited to stay in touch. We send links to each other after. It feels much more like dating.
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I think hiring—which might be the most important process at a company—could be creative and fun for everyone, but it's so hard to get right, for both sides. I'd like to think I'm doing my part as a candidate, by simply being myself.
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