Pritam's Blog
On Interviewing People
One of the most exciting parts of what I do at Embibe is interviewing and getting new people on board.
But it’s also during this process that my own insecurities pop up. I mean I might be 30 but I just have a little more than three years of experience as I started my career quite late. And here I am taking interviews of people with more than a decade of experience. The oldest person I interviewed (and rejected) had 14 years of experience.
They probably know more than I do and will probably draw a salary far higher than I do. And yet I will be the one determining whether or not they are fit for the job. Not just that, once they are hired, I will be training them, reviewing their performance, help them to improve…
I am good at building teams. The last time I built a team, most of them lasted for more than two years. And during that period, they were more active on Facebook and Instagram than on LinkedIn to search for another job.
And to be honest, they made me a better professional. I have transformed from a short-tempered, cranky person to a calm, rational person full of patience.
They, my team members say I am a good mentor and that I train well. I mean I still get Happy Teacher’s Day messages on 5th September from people who left the organization (if only they knew how I despise the casteist Radhakrishnan). So, I guess I am good at what I do.
And yet, I feel bad when I interview all these highly qualified, experienced people. I don’t know if that’s what happens in other organizations but a part of me feels that it’s not fair to me. And more importantly, it’s not fair to them.
I remember when I had just started off with this responsibility, I used to give candidates a really hard time, especially the ones with years and years of experience. I mean I used to ask the most difficult of questions as if a part of me wanted to show them that despite their experiences, I knew more than they do. I was like this asshole Maths teacher who would set a difficult paper as if his students were his competitors.
I don’t do that anymore. All that matters to me now is how trainable a candidate is and whether or not they will fit within the company’s culture. My goodness! As I write this, I feel like patting my own back - I have matured a lot…
I still do stupid stuff though. For example, today, the candidate turned on his camera but I didn’t. I think that was kind of unprofessional from my end. But I was working from home and hence, was nangu-pangu…
So, yeah. I am still learning. And a part of me feels bad that I have to interview these people.
But then I think of my team - the people I trained and mentored and with whom I generated 16 million traffic (in one month) within the first year.
Fuck it. I am definitely one of the best! I have earned this right to interview people, judge them… build a team with them.
Ok. Enough of blowing my own trumpet. Bye.