We have all heard of exit interviews, right? Somebody has decided to leave your organization and, before they go, some analyst in HR asks them questions about their departure. Pending the person who is leaving is not cray-cray, they will typically provide some standard, bland answers about “better opportunities” elsewhere. Or, they are going back to school. Or, they need some time to “find themselves” (more of us should do this). Or, whatever. What if we started doing entrance interviews. No, not the perfunctory interview process that most of us have gone through to get the job in the first place. Rather, something different. An interview, of sorts, done a month or two after they start. The point is to learn why they actually joined your firm. The real reasons. What about your organization, or the job, or you sparked them to do the work to join in the first place? We do this a few months in because we need some time to build trust. If we can glean why someone was attracted to our organization we may be able to capitalize on those strengths to attract others. Over the course of ten or twenty new hire entrance interviews, we start learning how others actually see us. We can see the trends. Then, we have the data to potentially change how we recruit.
First day of the rest of your life or all downhill from here
"Every day is better than the next." I missed it the first time I heard this line in the movie, "There's Something About Mary." This time, I got it. After laughing I realized something. I have spent years of my life on the wrong side of the equation. "Every day is...