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Consultant Reveals Why Companies Don’t Hire The Best Candidate For The Job And What Job Interviews Are Really About
A job interview is a unique event that combines both captain obvious and utter mystery. While every job seeker knows they have to show their best, it’s still largely unclear what each position really needs and what the company is looking for. No wonder so many job interviews feel like a lottery, unless you really screw up. In that case, the game is over.
But @Rulewithruna, consultant and TikToker who often shares useful job tips on her account, explained how our understanding about what job interviews are for couldn’t be further from the truth. “Did you really think that the companies try to hire the best, most qualified candidates?” Runa asks in one of her videos. Duh! Of course we do!
“Well, they don’t,” Runa states, debunking everything we thought we knew about job interviews and sending a wave of disbelief on the internet before adding: “and I can let you know why.”
Scroll down for her eye-opening explanation of what recruiters are really looking for in candidates, and it may well change your tactics for the next interview.
RELATED:
The consultant and TikToker Runa claims that companies don’t actually need the best candidates, sending shockwaves online, but rather they look for people who are the least risky
Image credits: rulewithruna
Image credits: rulewithruna
This illuminating video Runa recently shared on her TikTok
@rulewithruna What interviews are really about: Part 1 📌🥂 #careertips#interviewtip#careertiktok#careeradvice#careercoach#jobtips#interviewquestions#careertok#interview#jobtok#interviewtok♬ original sound – Runa | Career & Smallbiz Tips
In part 2 of the video series, Runa explained who looks for and hires the best candidates
Image credits: rulewithruna
Image credits: rulewithruna
Here is the full video of part 2
@rulewithruna Continued from @rulewithruna 👈 Part 1 💯📌#careercoach#careertips#careertiktok#careeradvice#jobtips#careertok#jobtok#startupadvice#tips♬ original sound – Runa | Career & Smallbiz Tips
And this is what people had to comment about Runa’s point
What do you think ?
aubergine10003 3 years ago
As a recruiter, I"m just here to say this is b******t. We ALWAYS hire the person we think is the best person for the job.
May light defeat the darkness 3 years ago (edited)
If a company is more into politics, yes they will not go for the best. They will just look for minions to maintain the status quo. In healthcare it is a big bonus point if one is knowledgeable, hardworking and has good “soft skills”. Health authorities will not take the risk of getting sued with negligence and malpractice.
Load More Replies...
Bailey 3 years ago (edited)
How is this shocking? That is literally what an interview is for. They have viewed your application/CV, and on paper you could do this job, so they want to speak to you to assess if you would be a good fit for the company and are likely to be worth the time and resource that would go into you as a new starter. Of course they are not going to go for the person with the highest qualification if they have never held down a job for more than a month, and they have another applicant who has a lesser qualification, but was in their previous role for 5 years and can rattle off numerous examples of how they benefited that company
Bruce Leibee 3 years ago
Yea, because the 20-something "TikTok Star," who has never had a job, NEVER hired, fired, or trained anyone is an expert. PLEASE STOP SPEAKING. NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR OPINION.
Adam Jeff 3 years ago
This still doesn't explain the ongoing popularity of "what's your greatest weakness?" though. Surely they realise that everyone has worked out the whole answer-with-a-weakness-that's-really-a-strength like "oh, I'm too much of a perfectionist" shtick. Or are they really expecting to catch someone out and have them answer "I have a tendency to disobey authority' or "sometimes I drink too much and try to burn down buildings"
Anna Banana 3 years ago
Really? I always think this way of replying is lame and that nobody would hire a person who answers this way. Then again, I don't really know anybody who actually asks this question so maybe I don't know this mindset.
Load More Replies...
Eb 3 years ago
Too many managers at mid-level are hiring people who'll do the delivery and let them take the credit, so non-alpha people who don't present a risk to their own progression, rather than people who could become future leaders or have the power to influence.
Tim 3 years ago
Half of an interview is seeing whether that application or CV is an outright fabrication. Yes, you got your degree and yes, you worked at such and such for 3 years. BUT, were you a f**k up for those 3 years? Do you actually understand the vomit of keywords you spattered into your CV or are you lying? And with work from home being much more common, this kind of conversation is even more crucial. I often ask questions like "Can you elaborate on your project regarding X?" or "How did you use that application to solve your problem?" Being able to answer these questions shows they understand what they are telling you they know.
Ivana 3 years ago
Not our hiring strategy but our office is set up differently. No one specializes or gets a degree in regulatory research, and anyone with experience is too expensive because they just go an work for industry and non-profits can't compete, so we look for younger smart people with little experience and we start them off entry level and move them up when other positions are available. The people in the higher positions will put in a few years then go to industry so our office is always a revolving door. I train non-stop. If someone qualified for the higher up positions comes in I am suspicious because we aren't competitive due to how the funding works so they could make more as a coordinator in any other department or work for a pharma company instead. Normally they apply then laugh when we tell them the salary range. I fight with HR all the time about not posting salary ranges because it waste so much of my time.
Phil Rubin 3 years ago
I worked in staffing for ten years. I found that companies are not looking for the best candidate, they are looking fir the safest. They also often start the culling process with someone in HR, who has no clue about the job description... but Sally HR is making decisions on the future of the company.
AnyOtherName 3 years ago
Depends what level 'Sally' in HR is. An HR representative at top level (I.e. on the board of directors) is extremely influencial re company strategy direction, allocation of people and would definitely be the right person to help in the 'culling process' - someone in HR also probably helped write the job description. It's fun to s**t on HR but just shows a lot of people have no idea what HR actually does
Load More Replies... aubergine10003 3 years ago
As a recruiter, I"m just here to say this is b******t. We ALWAYS hire the person we think is the best person for the job.
May light defeat the darkness 3 years ago (edited)
If a company is more into politics, yes they will not go for the best. They will just look for minions to maintain the status quo. In healthcare it is a big bonus point if one is knowledgeable, hardworking and has good “soft skills”. Health authorities will not take the risk of getting sued with negligence and malpractice.
Load More Replies... Bailey 3 years ago (edited)
How is this shocking? That is literally what an interview is for. They have viewed your application/CV, and on paper you could do this job, so they want to speak to you to assess if you would be a good fit for the company and are likely to be worth the time and resource that would go into you as a new starter. Of course they are not going to go for the person with the highest qualification if they have never held down a job for more than a month, and they have another applicant who has a lesser qualification, but was in their previous role for 5 years and can rattle off numerous examples of how they benefited that company
Bruce Leibee 3 years ago
Yea, because the 20-something "TikTok Star," who has never had a job, NEVER hired, fired, or trained anyone is an expert. PLEASE STOP SPEAKING. NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR OPINION.
Adam Jeff 3 years ago
This still doesn't explain the ongoing popularity of "what's your greatest weakness?" though. Surely they realise that everyone has worked out the whole answer-with-a-weakness-that's-really-a-strength like "oh, I'm too much of a perfectionist" shtick. Or are they really expecting to catch someone out and have them answer "I have a tendency to disobey authority' or "sometimes I drink too much and try to burn down buildings"
Anna Banana 3 years ago
Really? I always think this way of replying is lame and that nobody would hire a person who answers this way. Then again, I don't really know anybody who actually asks this question so maybe I don't know this mindset.
Load More Replies... Eb 3 years ago
Too many managers at mid-level are hiring people who'll do the delivery and let them take the credit, so non-alpha people who don't present a risk to their own progression, rather than people who could become future leaders or have the power to influence.
Tim 3 years ago
Half of an interview is seeing whether that application or CV is an outright fabrication. Yes, you got your degree and yes, you worked at such and such for 3 years. BUT, were you a f**k up for those 3 years? Do you actually understand the vomit of keywords you spattered into your CV or are you lying? And with work from home being much more common, this kind of conversation is even more crucial. I often ask questions like "Can you elaborate on your project regarding X?" or "How did you use that application to solve your problem?" Being able to answer these questions shows they understand what they are telling you they know.
Ivana 3 years ago
Not our hiring strategy but our office is set up differently. No one specializes or gets a degree in regulatory research, and anyone with experience is too expensive because they just go an work for industry and non-profits can't compete, so we look for younger smart people with little experience and we start them off entry level and move them up when other positions are available. The people in the higher positions will put in a few years then go to industry so our office is always a revolving door. I train non-stop. If someone qualified for the higher up positions comes in I am suspicious because we aren't competitive due to how the funding works so they could make more as a coordinator in any other department or work for a pharma company instead. Normally they apply then laugh when we tell them the salary range. I fight with HR all the time about not posting salary ranges because it waste so much of my time.
Phil Rubin 3 years ago
I worked in staffing for ten years. I found that companies are not looking for the best candidate, they are looking fir the safest. They also often start the culling process with someone in HR, who has no clue about the job description... but Sally HR is making decisions on the future of the company.
AnyOtherName 3 years ago
Depends what level 'Sally' in HR is. An HR representative at top level (I.e. on the board of directors) is extremely influencial re company strategy direction, allocation of people and would definitely be the right person to help in the 'culling process' - someone in HR also probably helped write the job description. It's fun to s**t on HR but just shows a lot of people have no idea what HR actually does
Load More Replies...
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