Workplace

The job interview evolves

One morning in August, Robin Dayer arrived at Abbott Laboratories’ headquarters to interview for a financialanalyst position, said Sarah Needleman in The Wall Street Journal. By nightfall she was hired. “Welcome to the world of speed interviewing, a growing phenomenon in corporate America.” Rather than risk losing talent to a better offer, companies that “face a looming shortage of skilled workers” are interviewing and hiring candidates “in a matter of days or even a single day.” The process isn’t perfect. As with speed dating, it’s hard to really get to know someone when the egg timer is ticking. Other adventurous employers are exploring group interviews, said the Associated Press. At Whole Foods Market Inc., “people who will work under a manager are part of the team that grills candidates and collectively picks hires.” The purpose is to find employees who have the right personality. Adventure cruise company Lindblad Expeditions also goes to great lengths to find the right fit. You can teach people any technical skill, says Kris Thompson, Lindblad’s vice president of human resources. “But you can’t teach them how to be a kindhearted, generous-minded person with an open spirit.”

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