by Scott Herren

Interviewing can seem a lot like buying a new home. For instance, you go on an interview and walk into a main lobby. The company has made sure to vacuum, dust, clean, disinfect, sweep, mop, polish, deodorize and light a few mood candles to give an essence of success and professionalism.

You are met by smiling faces, firm handshakes and pleasant words vocalized in warm, rich tones. Wow – great first impression, huh?

Next you are ushered into an office that is also neat and tidy to meet with a hiring manager. Now this hiring manager is responsible for finding a superstar that ideally can come into the workplace and hit the ground running at full speed and help make this new home beautiful.

Based on two or three visits in which you have only seen the living room and den (carefully staged, because they knew you were coming), how do you know whether this place is right for you?

• Do you sign the paperwork and buy this house and pay the mortgage for years?
• Have your spouse and family signed off on this major acquisition and life-altering event?
• Are there skeletons in the closets, pests behind the doors, moths in the attic?
• Is it haunted?
• So, who you gonna call? Have you ever even heard of GhostBusters?

Bottom line: as you interview, start building a relationship with potential team members so you can politely inspect the rest of the office. It is OK to ask about the neighborhood, so to speak.

Now – like buying a house, interviewing and finding the best fit require preparation and a thought process where you have determined your best plan of action for the future. Pay attention to the details and do your homework to help add valuable insight into your next search. Be leery of power outages, foundation cracks, unreliable ceilings, leaky faucets, well – you get the gist.

I will tell you on a self-interested, but true, note – that using a professional recruiter can help answer questions and take risks out of the mix while at the same time keeping the focus on your career interests.

Happy House Hunting!!!