In Depth

Job Seekers: Get Ready for the 'Character' Interview

Employers are looking hard at a candidate's character to break ties among equally qualified candidates

By Meridith Levinson, CIO.com

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Employers and recruiters are also taking out executive-level candidates and their spouses to dinner. While this isn't new, employers are footing the dinner bill more often as a way to size up a candidate's character: how the candidate treats wait staff, interacts with his spouse, and handles a social situation. Employers want to see a candidate who treats people with respect, says Bare, and to get a feel for his or her ability to work a room at a corporate event.

"In many organizations, entertaining at the top level is a critical part of the job," he says. "If a CEO wants to see how a potential SVP will conduct himself in a social setting, one of the best ways to do that is to invite him or her along and see what happens."

Spouses, too, will often need to accompany their executive husband or wife at fancy dinners and events. And so employers want to see a happy, healthy relationship, Bare says. (This may be difficult for CIOs in bad marriages.)

Even a candidate's eating habits can reveal aspects of their personality and approach to problem solving, Bare says. Salting your food before tasting it, for instance, can indicate impulsiveness or programmed mannerisms. Bare says a candidate will not get tossed out of contention simply because she seasons a meal before tasting it. "Small things like that by themselves are not a reason to dismiss a candidate," Bare says, "but if 10 of those things pop up, it adds an area of concern." [ For more information on working with executive recruiters, see How to Interview with an Executive Search Firm and Five More Tips for Getting on Recruiters' Good Sides. ]

Another technique recruiters are using to size up personality traits of candidates is the car ride to the restaurant, where the recruiter is the passenger and the candidate is the driver. A person's driving sheds light on how he reacts to stressful situations, as well as his levels of patience and aggressiveness, says Bare.

Turning the Tables: Evaluating a Company's Character
Just as dinners and car rides provide employers with opportunities to get to know candidates on a deeper level, the same goes for job seekers. They, too, can use these situations to learn about a company's values, says Bare.

"I think candidates are doing much more due diligence to make sure they're identifying a company culture that will suit them," he says. "When a candidate looks at an organization, they want to make sure they're dealing with people who are ethical and fair-minded."