Brian King

With any growing business comes the need to add additional people. Finding people that are the right fit for not only the job posting, but a company's culture, can be a daunting task. As Balihoo continues to grow, I see a lot of unfamiliar faces in the office from time to time, likely in the midst of the interview process. One of the most important things with interviewing from a Balihoo culture standpoint, regardless of whether that individual is hired or not, is that they leave the interview thinking positively of the Balihoo brand, and organization as a whole.

What I always find interesting when I speak with people on the job-hunt is how often they walk away from an interview with a bitter taste in their mouth about the organization. I've got a simple theory on this:

Interviewing, in a sense, is a form of local advertising. In many cases you are interviewing a current customer, and if they aren't a current customer, any member of your company's sales team would say, "they should be." More often than not, people apply for jobs within a particular company because they are passionate about the culture or because they believe in the product or service and wish to be part of the company as they continue to grow. The last thing the marketing department wants is a lost customer because a recruiter or someone within the HR department left the interviewee with a bad impression of the company.

Now don't take this as me saying that interviews should be easy. In fact, I believe interviews should be very challenging. But regardless of the potential of the candidate once they are in your office, they should be treated with the same level of respect you would show your customers because at the end of the day, you never know when that person is going to come back into the picture.

Think of it this way: Interviewee leaves thinking positively of the brand and people but doesn't receive the job offer. However, they go on to obtain another role at an organization that you have been prospecting for months. Think of the advantage you will have over the competition when the interviewee, who still thinks highly of your brand, just happens to be on the decision making panel at the prospective company. The advantage is huge. Trust me, this happens more often than most would think.

Bottom line, make sure that everyone you interview for a role leaves thinking, "Now that is a great company filled with even better people!" Never burn the bridge because you never know when you might need to cross it in the future.