So we had a GCD go and interview for an ECD position. All seemed to go fairly well, considering the owner of the agency is as easy to wrangle down for an interview as rabies infested raccoon on a hot summer night. They actually spoke for over two hours – which is amazing because the owner doesn’t even have two available hours to give between jet hopping between both coasts.

Cool this is going to work. The love fest has occurred. What made this even more wonderful is their new pedigreed ECD, who is living in LA, is originally from the area where the agency is located and wants to move home. This was the second interview. The first happed via phone and the second was the all important “in-person”.

In person interviews are always interesting because someone can just nail it on the phone and bomb it when speaking face to face. My favorite comment by a CEO interviewing a high profile candidate: “Can this be the same person who I spoke to on the phone? She looked like she was hung over and just woke up – just a mess in her wrinkled clothes – nice necklace though.”

Crap. We discussed dressing more conservatively and adding the chunky funky jewelry – guess I forgot to mention to not bathe in a vat of gin and tonic the night before and to pull out the Downy wrinkle release that morning.

Of course she thought the interview went great, guess I would too if I was still drunk?

To the point of my ECD and agency owner who had the two hour interview when neither had the time; Two hours is a great indicator of a great interview. The feedback will be a welcome hum in the headset. The creative called and said it went “well” which in non-excitable-I’m not making a commitment-you say you love me first – lingo, it means it went very well.

We know there can be a completely opposite response from the other lover though.

The phone rang. I answered ready to close a deal.

“It went well, really well.”
“But?”
“Well, as soon as your candidate left, one of our employees recognized him.”
“Please tell me they go to the same church, not the same massage parlor to get loved long time.”
“He told the owner of the agency that they worked together ten years ago and he is the biggest jackhole he has ever met.”

Crap part two. What? Ten years ago? Isn’t that like 70 in advertising years? He was a young and tender who has now been spanked hard by life. Who isn’t a smarty pants in the beginning of the biz when you think you will produce five super bowl spots in one year? Now he just wants to pay his kid’s private school tuition and keep his mistress dressed in something besides Marshall’s clearance rack specials.

The investigation is still continuing at this moment. What are your thoughts? Do you go by the opinion of one person over the pedigreed work and great references of your future hire? I’ll keep you posted…

[tags]agency, ecd, candidate, interview, hiring revolution[/tags]