Fun addendum to our recent post about how to stand out during the interview process. A Managing Director we love to work with recently received a bottle of bourbon from someone she interviewed! We’d say that’s pretty memorable!
Did he get the job? Well yes, it’s in the works, folks! But not because of the bourbon. There’s more to the story than that.
Our tale begins with a senior-level candidate interviewing for a strategy role at a leading healthcare agency. (Sorry, names withheld to protect the innocent!) He’s lined up to meet the Managing Director for drinks/chemistry check. He’s done his homework and knows several people they have in common. While he’s waiting for her at the bar, he texts one of their mutual connections to see what he should order her for a drink. Who doesn’t love a drink waiting for them?! Seriously, I already like this guy.
He discovers that our MD is a bourbon aficionado, so he orders a bourbon and she is, of course, delighted… and impressed. They talk shop but they also talk bourbon. And in the course of their conversation, the candidate demonstrates that he not only has the right skill set, but that he’s personable, can talk on a variety of topics, is interesting and interested, listens and ask questions rather than dominating the conversation, etc.
They leave with the confidence that they’ll enjoy working together. The very next day, the candidate hand-delivers the MD’s favorite bottle of bourbon to the office. You had me at hello, right? Yet another proof point that he was attentive, eager to impress and really wanted the job. Fantastic.
We should all treat interviews as an opportunity to build an enduring rapport with our future employers. It’s worth the extra legwork to create a memorable first impression.
