Managing Candidate Expectations

I got fired twice because I had poor soft skills. Then, I became VP at Amazon, where my job was more than 80% based on soft skills. This was possible because I stopped being an outspoken, judgmental critic of other people and improved my soft skills. Here are 4 areas you can improve: Soft skills are one of the main things I discuss with my coaching clients, as they are often the barrier between being a competent manager and being ready to be a true executive. Technical skills are important, but soft skills are the deciding factor between executive candidates a lot more than technical skills are. Four “soft skill” areas in which we can constantly improve are: 1) Storytelling skills Jeff Bezos said, “You can have the best technology, you can have the best business model, but if the storytelling isn’t amazing, it won’t matter.” The same is true for you as a leader. You can have the best skills or best ideas, but if you can’t communicate through powerful storytelling, no one will pay attention. 2) Writing Writing is the foundation of clear communication and clear thinking. It is the main tool for demonstrating your thinking and influencing others. The way you write will impact your influence, and therefore will impact your opportunities to grow as a leader. 3) Executive Presence Executive presence is your ability to present as someone who should be taken seriously. This includes your ability to speak, to act under pressure, and to relate to your team informally, but it goes far beyond any individual skill. Improving executive presence requires consistently evaluating where we have space to grow in our image as leaders and then addressing it. 4) Public Speaking As a leader, public speaking is inevitable. In order the get the support you need to become an executive, you must inspire confidence in your abilities and ideas through the way you speak to large, important groups of people. No one wants to give more responsibility to someone who looks uncomfortable with the amount they already have. I am writing about these 4 areas because today’s newsletter is centered around how exactly to improve these soft skills. The newsletter comes from member questions in our Level Up Newsletter community, and I answer each of them at length. I'm joined in the newsletter by my good friend, Richard Hua, a world class expert in emotional intelligence (EQ). Rich created a program at Amazon that has taught EQ to more than 500,000 people! The 4 specific questions I answer are: 1. “How do I improve my storytelling skills?” 2. “What resources or tools would you recommend to get better in writing?” 3. “What are the top 3 ways to improve my executive presence?” 4. “I am uncomfortable talking in front of large crowds and unknown people, but as I move up, I need to do this more. How do I get comfortable with this?” See the newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/gg6JXqF4 How have you improved your soft skills?

To those of us on the recruiting side, an interview might just be 30 minutes of our day, interchangeable with any number of tasks we might do. When an interview gets cancelled, we often breathe a sigh of relief - it's an unplanned break! But for a candidate, that 30 minute interview was: -hours of preparation to make sure they had their talking points, understood the role and the company, sometimes even pre-work requested by the company. -days or weeks of daydreaming about getting that offer and what it might mean for them, their family, and their future. -something that they've looked forward to all day or all week or all month. I saw a post from Mikey Cook about how a cancelled interview 26 minutes before the start time impacted him yesterday, and I'd encourage everyone to check it out to see the kind of experiences people are having every single day. And because he's looking, and shares a lot that will give you insight into his character and what he might bring to your company so maybe something will resonate and you'll see a match with a role your team is hiring. Because I work in recruiting, I know there will always be candidates in earlier stages who may have their process end simply because the role gets filled. Recruiters wouldn't be doing our jobs if we didn't have a pipeline of candidates for each role. But here are a few things you can do that might help make it even a touch less painful for candidates: 1. Let candidates know where things are with the process. If you're in late stages, let those candidates know so they can manage their expectations. 2. If the role gets filled or paused, let the candidate know, but offer to keep the time for that candidate. Use it to learn more about them, share a bit about what else you're hiring for, etc. It's a win-win for both sides and will help you fill the next role a bit more quickly. 3. Let your hiring teams know that you'll ask the same of them - to offer a meet and greet. Maybe that conversation will help them fill a future role. Maybe the new hire backs out and they'll be glad they met someone else who could be a good fit. Maybe they can recommend the candidate to a colleague at another company. None of this is going to make a candidate hoping for an offer feel better about a rejection, but it can lessen the sting, honor the efforts they've put into the process, and maybe even help them a bit in their search. These are things we've tried in our processes at Zapier, and seen positive feedback. There are real humans receiving these emails. I know how hard recruiters are working, I know there's a lot to keep up with, but it's infinitely harder to be on the job hunt right now so the least we can do is follow through on the commitments we make to those humans.

The single biggest recruiting mistake I see first-time founders, hiring managers, and even recruiters make is waiting until the offer stage to “sell” or “close”. Don’t wait until you make an offer to start closing someone. It doesn’t feel genuine, and candidates won’t like it. In fact, after you’ve made an offer is the absolute worst time to start “selling” a candidate:  - As soon as the convo shifts to numbers, it starts to become all about negotiation.  - For better or worse, many candidates become fixated on comp and get tunnel vision.  - Folks start to hold their cards closer to their chest and it becomes more challenging have a heart to heart about the other motivations that may matter most.  - Trying to close too hard at this stage comes across as “sales-y” and doesn’t feel good. Welcome to Startup Hiring 101 part 19 (link in comments 👇 ), which is all about Selling & Closing. There’s so much to cover that this is just the first blog post of two on the topic. Part 19 covers best practices for closing at the top of the funnel, closing throughout the interview process, how to understand your candidate’s motivations, example discovery questions to ask, and more. Check out the full blog post for more, but to get the juices going, here are some best practices for “selling” / “closing” that I’ve learned, which is ultimately about providing a great candidate experience:  ✅‎ “selling” / “closing” doesn’t mean “pitching”. It means genuinely understanding your candidate’s motivations to see if you genuinely have an exciting opportunity for them.  ✅ ‎Start closing early.  ✅ ‎Start by asking good discovery Qs (just like sales!) during your very first convo and throughout the interview process.    ✅ Aim to learn something new about your candidate in every single convo.    ‎✅ Run a tight process with a fast turnaround time.     ✅ Always have a next step in mind headed into each convo with your candidate and ideally align on it live before ending your convo.  ✅ Give your candidate a sense of what it feels like to be part of your team. Things like lunch with the team, joining a standup, or even joining for All Hands can be a great way to do this as a small startup.  ✅ Get creative & involve your whole team. Investors & advisors too.  ✅ ‎Don’t just extend an offer when you’re ready… make sure your candidate is ready! The 1-10 Q is a great tactic here. Stay tuned for blog post #2 on Selling & Closing next week, which will cover the offer stage and beyond. In the meantime, what’s your favorite tip for selling/closing/candidate experience before making an offer?

How to have a legit career development conversation with a high performer (without overpromising): This is one of the most common questions new marketing leaders ask me. Here's how I do it: 1) Understand what each person wants to achieve 2) Frame the conversation 3) Make it clear what they need to do 4) Make it clear what you can (and cannot) promise them Part 1: understand what they want to achieve 👇 Don't assume everyone wants a promotion and don't assume everyone wants to manage people. Ask both of those questions. But don't stop there -- there's a lot more to a career path than a simple "yes/no" on people management. Other questions you can ask: -What type of work gives you energy? What would you like to do more of? -What would you like to do less of? -What kind of decisions do you want the authority to make? -Who do you see as your peer group (current + future) in the organization? -How much money do you want to be making? (yes, seriously) Give the person a heads up that you're going to discuss these questions, so they have at least a week to think about the answers. At the end of the conversation, ask: "When would you *expect* this to happen?" If you ask when someone *wants* it to happen, a lot of people will just say "ASAP" That's probably true, but it's not super useful information for you, as their manager. If you ask when they *expect* it to happen, you gain a critical piece of information: After X date, they might be disappointed (or start to wonder if this promotion is *ever* going to happen) I've had people tell me they expect a promotion in 2 years, when I was thinking more like 18 months I've had others tell me 1 year, when I was thinking more like 2 or 3 Even if you're not 100% aligned on timing, having this (sometimes difficult) conversation early will help you work towards alignment. I realized halfway through this post that it was going to be a long one, so... Parts 2, 3, and 4 later this week! Hit the 🔔 on my profile if you want to be notified. #leadership #management

Have you heard "We don't want to lower the bar" concerns when discussing hiring talent from marginalized groups? After reading my recent newsletter about challenging zero-sum thinking, a subscriber sent me an email: “The zero-sum mindset is also closely associated with the ‘we hire the best candidate - the one with the right skills regardless of gender, etc.’ argument, which tends to embed the unconscious bias that hiring someone from a marginalized community means hiring someone less qualified.” Which, of course, isn’t true. Unfortunately, we’re seeing this destructive mindset in the news lately. As reported by NBC, “right-wing influencers, politicians and media outlets have repeatedly attacked efforts by airlines to find more job applicants who are women or nonwhite, programs that are known within big corporations as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.” (https://lnkd.in/gEK53eAF) Here’s one example from the article: After a wheel fell off a jet on a runway, a well-known white businessman facetiously suggested that diversity efforts were to blame. “I’m sure this has nothing to do with mandated Diversity Equity and Inclusion practices in the airline industry!” NBC pointed out that many criticisms are based on misunderstandings or false narratives about DEI programs. They quoted Jessica Muench, chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at United, “We are talking more about fishing for talent in new ponds.” In other words, they aren’t trying to hire people who aren’t qualified. Comments about “lowering the bar” to attract and hire marginalized talent are not new. Joelle Emerson, founder of diversity and inclusion consultancy organization Paradigm, wrote several years ago: “The concern about ‘lowering the bar’ stems from an incorrect (and biased) belief that a company has a high bar designed to hire the best people, and the reason it hasn’t hired more diverse people is that they aren’t able to meet that bar. In fact, in many cases it’s the opposite: companies have a poorly designed hiring bar that fails to adequately evaluate highly qualified, and often diverse, candidates.” (https://lnkd.in/gwuA4jKt) I love what Carla Ann Harris, a managing director at Morgan Stanley, recently tweeted: “As a leader, you must make sure your team understands that diverse means different, NOT less qualified.” Let’s all look for opportunities to push back on “lowering the bar” concerns and affirm that diversifying a workforce doesn’t mean hiring less competent people. By contrast, it means hiring the right people to meet your business needs. — This is an excerpt from my upcoming “5 Ally Actions” newsletter. Subscribe and read the full edition at https://lnkd.in/gJApP5cV #BetterAllies #Allyship #InclusionMatters #Inclusion #DEI #Diversity #Allies 🙏

I’ve worked with countless leaders, candidates, and high-performing teams across the CPG space, and one thing stands out above all else: the best people aren’t just skilled, they’re easy to work with. You can have the most impressive résumé, the sharpest skills, and a portfolio of achievements, but if people dread collaborating with you, success will only go so far. Being easy to work with means: > You communicate clearly. No one should have to decode your emails or guess at your intentions. > You bring solutions, not just problems. Teams thrive on collaboration, not complaints. > You adapt to different work styles. Flexibility builds trust and rapport. > You’re approachable. Being open to feedback and ideas fosters a culture of growth. What’s often overlooked is that this “soft skill” has a massive impact on career growth. Why? Because opportunities follow trust. Managers advocate for team players. Colleagues recommend those who make their lives easier. Clients stick with people who listen and deliver. Leaders, When evaluating candidates, don’t just focus on their qualifications—ask yourself, “Would I enjoy working with this person every day?” For professionals, Whether you’re climbing the ladder or pivoting to a new role, remember: technical skills open doors, but collaboration keeps them open. What’s your take? How do you measure “easy to work with” when hiring or building teams? #Leadership #Headhunting #Hiring #CareerSkills #Teamwork

Hard skills get you interviews. Soft skills get you hired. 92% of hiring teams want soft skills ≥ hard skills (Deloitte) This is more true than ever as AI enters the hiring process: ↳ AI analyzes your video interview ↳ AI interprets your answers to application questions ↳ AI reads your resume But employers know that: 💜 AI can't match human empathy 👋 AI can't match human emotional intelligence 🧠 AI can't match human discernment/critical thinking So it's critical you show what it would be like to work with you through the interview process. Here are soft skills that matter most  ⬇️ (and how to prove you have them in an interview) 1. Strategic Communication ↳ Effective in-person and digital communication ↳ Handles sensitive conversations with grace Proof: ↳Tell a story about a difficult conversation you handled well. 2. Agility ↳ Embraces change (even when it's uncomfortable) ↳ Quick to learn new tools and approaches Proof: ↳Share a time when you managed the unexpected. 3. Emotional Intelligence ↳ Reads the room (virtual or physical) ↳ Navigates workplace dynamics well Proof: ↳Share examples of teamwork in your answers. 4. Critical Thinking ↳ Makes smart judgment calls ↳ Evaluates AI output with discernment Proof: ↳Discuss a difficult decision you made. 5. Integrity ↳ Builds trust through transparency ↳ Does what's right, not what's easy Proof: ↳Talk about a time you did the right thing. 6. Influence ↳ Inspires others to follow your lead ↳ Speaks up and speaks out when needed Proof: ↳Share when you found a mistake and spoke up. 7. Cross-Cultural Fluency ↳ Works effectively across time zones and cultures ↳ Respects diverse perspectives Proof: ↳Show you are comfortable with different opinions & people. 8. Digital Collaboration ↳ Handles hybrid team dynamics ↳ Builds relationships across screens Proof: ↳Have examples of when you worked virtually 9. Time Mastery ↳ Manages asynchronous work ↳ Knows how to prioritize Proof: ↳Talk about your calendar management process. 10. Resilience ↳ Bounces back from setbacks ↳ Stays calm under pressure Proof: ↳Discuss how you keep your cool when faced with a challenge. 11. Networking ↳ Builds authentic relationships ↳ Connects with key stakeholders Proof: ↳Show ability to be at ease with yourself in new situations 💡The good news? These skills can be learned!💡 Which skill do you think is most crucial? Share your thoughts below! 👇 ♻ Repost to help your network learn career-advancing skills! ➕ Follow Sarah Baker Andrus for more like this.

After reviewing thousands of executive resumes throughout my career, I've noticed a clear pattern: candidates often over-emphasize technical qualifications while undervaluing what truly sets them apart - their soft skills. Data from 'Finances Online' confirms what I've observed firsthand: an overwhelming 91% of recruiters prioritize soft skills on resumes, with 16% considering them MORE important than hard skills. As an executive search specialist, I can tell you that at senior levels, technical competence is assumed. What differentiates exceptional leaders is their mastery of these five critical soft skills ⬇️ 1. Time management: Don't just claim you're organized. Highlight specific instances where your planning abilities delivered measurable results under pressure. 2. Communication: Demonstrate how your communication style has influenced stakeholders, resolved conflicts, or driven organizational change. 3. Adaptability: In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, showcase how you've successfully navigated uncertainty and embraced new challenges. 4. Problem-solving: Illustrate your analytical approach with concrete examples of complex problems you've solved and their business impact. 5. Teamwork: Highlight collaborative achievements that demonstrate your ability to build consensus and leverage diverse perspectives. The key distinction between average and exceptional candidates? The latter don't merely list these attributes—they provide compelling evidence through specific accomplishments. Are you ready to transform your resume from a list of duties into a powerful narrative of leadership and impact? Check out my newsletter for more insights here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju #executiverecruiter #eliterecruiter #jobmarket2025 #profoliosai #resume #jobstrategy #leadershipdevelopment

How do I get candidates to commit faster instead of stalling week after week? Let me share a quick story. I once worked with a recruiting leader who felt stuck in an endless loop. Candidates were excited in the beginning, but then would go radio silent as the days turned into weeks. It was frustrating for her and her team. After digging deeper, we found that the root issue was a lack of clarity about what the opportunity truly meant for the candidates. They needed a clear vision of not just the role, but also how it aligned with their personal goals. So, we introduced a simple framework: purpose-driven conversations. Instead of just vetting skills and experience, she started engaging candidates in meaningful discussions about their aspirations and values. She would ask questions like, “What does your ideal career trajectory look like?” and “How does this position fit into your bigger vision?” This shift transformed her conversations from transactional to transformational. Candidates felt understood and motivated, which led to quicker decisions. Why does this work? Because people make decisions based on emotion and alignment, not just paychecks or perks. When candidates grasp how a position fits into their long-term vision, they’re much more likely to commit. So, don't just fill a position; fill a purpose. Engage in genuine conversations, and watch the stalling fade away.

Pause before you answer. One of the biggest mistakes I see candidates make in technical interviews is diving in too fast. They hear the problem, grab the marker (or start coding), and go full speed… without stopping to ask, “Do I have all the information I need?” The best engineers aren’t just problem solvers, they’re problem framers. In the real world, the biggest failures don’t normally come from bad code, they come from solving the wrong problem. Here’s how to avoid that trap: 1. Pause for 5–10 seconds. Take a breath, think, and rephrase the problem in your own words. 2. Ask clarifying questions. What data do we have? What’s the scale? Are we dealing with global time zones? What’s the performance requirement? 3. Define constraints and success metrics. Show you understand what “good” looks like before you start solving. 4. Explain your approach before execution. Even a rough plan shows your interviewer you’re thinking like an engineer, not just a coder. Remember: Interviewers want to see how you think. Rushing to solve without asking questions signals you might miss critical details in real-world scenarios. Sometimes the smartest move in an interview isn’t answering fast, it’s pausing, probing, and then answering right.