I Just Interviewed You for a Job, and You May Not Even Have Realized It.

I just returned from speaking at the 2015 NSCA Coaches Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, and evidently this was the largest turnout in the history of the conference.

Since I enjoy learning, I tend to enjoy attending conferences. I also enjoy catching up with others in the industry, visiting with vendors and hearing about their products, and meeting new people. There is, however, something else I do while attending a conference, and that is interviewing people for prospective jobs.

I am constantly updating my “depth chart” of individuals who I would like to have as part of my staff someday. I also have a “watch list” of those in the industry I feel are going to rise to the top, and as a result, I will keep my eye on them, where they are, what they are doing, etc. This list is ever evolving and constantly being updated.

This year, I interviewed a number of individuals for potential jobs down the road. The interesting part of my interview process is that they all likely had no idea what I was doing.

What I am talking about it is just nothing more than simple observation. Observation is a powerful tool; it can provide vast amounts of valuable insight and information and is applicable to just about any situation. This is exactly the tool I used during the interview process. In other words, just about everyone displays a particular type of behavior when they know they are being watched, but how people behave when they don’t think they are being watched is an entirely different story.

• What are you wearing?

• Are you sitting in the lobby the entire time or attending talks?

• How do you act in the morning while in line for coffee?

• How do you act with your fellow co-workers?

• What are you and your co-workers, or those in your group talking about aloud?

• What does your body language say about you?

• Do you seek to introduce yourself to people who you don’t know or never heard of?

• Are you engaged with the information being presented?

• Are you prepared to take notes?

If you make it this far, I will then search the Internet and learn more about you. I’ll check out your social media, YouTube videos, articles, etc.

So next time you’re attending a conference, remember that someone might be watching to determine what your “live and in person” resume is telling them about you. Simply put, if you find yourself applying for a job, odds are that I already know more about you than you might think.

More to come...