7y
My team mates are more forgiving (and sometimes less direct) than me.
We’ve been serving corporate marketers at enterprise software companies in Silicon Valley for 22 years. I asked this candidate a focused question about his experience working for corporate marketing clients and to give an example of an enterprise/B2B project he managed that went off the rails and what he learned from it. He could have said he did not have the specific experience we are looking for. That would have showed understanding.
Instead, he referenced his agency work as “corporate”, without addressing corporate marketing. He talked about a time that he spent 3 (or maybe 6?) months on a big bureaucratic project with multiple other agencies all working for a large client and how he never got to speak to the actual client directly, which caused problems. I got the sense that he is someone who does not cut through bs with conviction, and I probed him. Thin skin. Passive aggressive... Next!
What do you think: Is it better to bust chops to get things done, or be polite? I say use the right approach for the job. Sometimes it's honey, and sometimes it's the stick! The person we hired has on-point experience and a disposition that better suits us, and we’re going to do everything we can to make them successful.
Have fun. Mix it up. Get results.
