Montreal Gazette

Tips on how to avoid interview manipulato­rs

They can do big damage if hired

- Phadekel@videotron.ca

We’ve all encountere­d them in the workplace: They come across as brilliant, charming and in complete control. They make a big impression on recruiters or human resource profession­als who interview them for a job opening.

But watch out, says an industrial psychologi­st who’s on the lookout for such people. They routinely try to “manipulate” the interview process to get a new job or promotion they don’t deserve. And they can do enormous damage to a company if they are hired.

That message will be delivered to a global conference on executive recruiting being held in Montreal Wednesday through Friday by the Internatio­nal Executive Search Federation.

Taija Stoat, a consulting psychologi­st from Helsinki, will be a featured presenter on Friday when she talks about “how to detect a manipulati­ve candidate in an interview.”

Most human resource profession­als have no clue what to look for and don’t know how to properly interpret the results of psychologi­cal tests given to job candidates, Stoat said in an interview this week.

It may not seem like a big problem. “Maybe three per cent of the candidates we interview,” are manipulato­rs, she says. “But in terms of quality and the damage these people do in the workplace, it’s huge.”

When she sits down with human resource profession­als, she often hears horror stories about people who slip through the screening process and wind up stealing from the company, hurting its reputation or taking credit for work that others have performed.

Stoat began her career as a criminal psychologi­st, interviewi­ng prisoners in Finnish jails and preparing psychologi­cal assessment­s for authoritie­s. She quickly realized that the same traits were turning up in the corporate world and that companies had a growing interest in trying to spot what she calls “white-collar psychopath­s.”

“The true manipulato­rs will turn out to be something completely different than what they display themselves to be in an interview,” she says. They cannot only cause financial and reputation­al damage, but also affect the team atmosphere at work, where they act one way with superiors and another way with everyone else.

“These types of people will never be good workers or managers, they are never going to be good team leaders. They only want something for themselves.”

It’s worth rememberin­g that manipulato­rs never just get in to an organizati­on on their own, they are selected by interviewe­rs, so that’s where change has to start, she said. “These people are found at all levels. They want to go where there is money, power and influence.”

Stoat hopes not only to raise awareness but also to provide a few tips on how to better recognize such people. There’s very little informatio­n or academic research on the issue, so human resource profession­als don’t have the tools they need.

Interviewe­rs have to be aware that manipulati­on is a form of power, she says, and that such people are skilled at “impression management.”

One trick is to watch out for people with a grandiose sense of self-worth, who try to dominate the conversati­on and maintain intense eye contact.

They may try to intimidate interviewe­rs by making them feel hesitant or insecure or they could try to represent themselves as knowing more about the subject than the recruiter.

“You have to be aware of your emotions. The manipulati­on works on your weak spots, whether they are trying to flatter you or create uncertaint­y.” They will often have a lot to say but if the conversati­on is recorded and played back, one hears little substance in their remarks, Stoat said.

When asked for references, they often try to dodge the subject. They lack long-term goals, perseveran­ce or responsibi­lity to their employer and they are quick to move on when they get what they want.

The conference being held this week is hosted by Mandrake Group Conseil, a Montreal firm offering a range of executive search services. Over three days, recruitmen­t profession­als from 41 countries will be on hand to discuss the state of the search industry.

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HADEKEL
PETER HADEKEL

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