Photo by Chase Clark on Unsplash
我隔著螢幕盯著他的光頭，這是我第三次和這個光頭面談了。每次見面他都笑笑的，讓我感覺他是站在我這邊的。但Recruiter這個角色一向都很tricky，他總是會讓你覺得你們是同一國的、有時還會幫你準備下一輪面試，畢竟他的KPI就是要把空缺填上、你們的incentive是一致的，但誰都知道，他依然代表了公司，跟的是公司的規距，為的是公司的利益。
「上次的面試妳感覺如何？」
「還不錯吧，至少我是這樣覺得。我很享受跟團隊面試的過程，very good energy, and I learned a lot more about the company and its culture from the interview.」我說。
「嗯嗯，我通常都會先問問candidate面試的感覺再給他們我們的回饋。」他看起來是那麼誠懇，我實在很難想像他是個壞人。
「所以我預期何時會收到結果？你們何時要做決定？」我直球丟入了我精心準備的問題，目的是想拿回面試的主導權，不確定他們有沒有在拖，但不能讓他們拖。
「好問題。」他說。
所有看似的輕鬆寫意其實都來自背後的100次沙盤推演練習，面試其實很像下棋、每一個來回都是在過招：預想從中要得到什麼資訊，預想對方的每一步棋，預想該如何應答。不只是面試，創業家這陣子公司在募資也是一樣，甚至是一場場比面試更詭譎莫辨的賽局。他遇過某矽谷知名創投刻意在會議過程中直播看似不雅動作，以測試創辦人說的故事究竟是不是真的，還是會因為分心而讓故事線無法連貫。pitch投資人已經夠辛苦了還要被這些怪異動作干擾，還要分析這些動作背後的原因，這年頭到底有多難。
「下週一下午，最慢週二早上，我們會給妳答覆。」他說。
嗯，感覺他還算老實，如果給我一個拐彎抹角曖昧不明的答案，我還有準備另一步旗可以反將他一軍。
「怎麼了嗎？有什麼事情是我們需要知道的嗎？」
果然是老江湖，馬上知道事有蹊蹺轉頭探究我問題的動機。其實我只是想快點有個答案，我也沒有一定要這個工作，我只是想快點知道有或沒有、而不是被拖著當第二選擇的備胎。
「喔事情是這樣的，我一開始的確沒有在找新工作，但自從開始跟你們聊之後我也有開始跟其他公司聊，而且他們的招募進度蠻快的。但從面試的過程中我很喜歡你們的團隊、同事散發的好奇心跟熱情，這間公司要解決的問題還有我可以發揮的空間，因此你們還是我的首選。但我需要知道你們的時程跟我在整個進程的哪裡。」
「好。我會確保我們團隊加快腳步，那剛剛給妳的時程ok嗎？」
「可以，沒問題。」
我其實還預想了他會不會再追問我有幾個公司同步在進行、是什麼產業的、進度到哪了，好他們預期可以還有多少決策時間，但他這樣乾脆利落，感覺還算真誠。
算是個好的結果，一回合結束。
Photo by Reuben Juarez on Unsplash
------- 對我而言，英文語境別有一番韻味。以下為我將文章以英文呈現：
I gazed at his bald head through the screen. This was my third interview with this recruiter. Each time we met, he smiled warmly, making me feel like he was on my side. But the role of a recruiter has always been tricky. They always make you feel like you're on the same team, sometimes even helping you prepare for the next round of interviews. After all, their KPI is to fill the vacancy, and your incentives align. But everyone knows they still represent the company, following company guidelines, working for the company's interests.
"How did you feel about the last interview?" he asked.
"Not bad, at least that's how I felt. I really enjoyed the interview process with the team, very good energy, and I learned a lot more about the company and its culture from the interview," I replied.
"I usually ask candidates about their interview experience before giving them our feedback," he said. He looked so sincere that I found it hard to think of him as a bad person.
"So when can I expect to receive the results? When will you make a decision?" I threw in my carefully prepared question, aiming to regain control of the interview. I wasn't sure if they were stalling, but I couldn't let them stall.
"Good question," he said.
All this apparent ease actually comes from 100 practice runs behind the scenes. Interviews are like chess games, each move a strategic play: anticipating what information you want to gain, predicting the other person's every move, planning how to respond. It's not just interviews; it's the same for entrepreneurs raising funds these days, an even more inscrutable game than interviews. The Entrepreneur once encountered a well-known Silicon Valley VC who deliberately did some seemingly inappropriate actions during a meeting to test whether the founder's story was genuine or would become disjointed due to distractions. Pitching to investors is hard enough without having to deal with these weird antics and analyze the motives behind them. How difficult have things become these days?
"We'll give you an answer by Monday afternoon, Tuesday morning at the latest," he said.
He seemed honest enough. If he had given me a vague, ambiguous answer, I had another move prepared to counter him.
"Is something wrong? Is there anything we need to know?" he asked.
As experienced as he seems, he immediately sensed something was up and probed into the motive behind my question. Honestly, all I wanted was a quick answer. I didn't necessarily need this job; I just wanted to know yes or no quickly, rather than being strung along as a backup option.
"Well, the thing is, I wasn't initially looking for a new job, but since I started talking with you, I've also begun conversations with other companies, and their recruitment processes are moving quite quickly. But from the interview process, I really like your team and the curiosity and enthusiasm your colleagues exude. The problems this company is trying to solve and the space for me to contribute make you my top choice. However, I need to know your timeline and where I stand in the whole process."
"Alright. I'll make sure our team speeds up the process. Does the timeline I just gave you work?"
"Yes, that's fine."
I had actually anticipated that he might ask how many companies I was simultaneously interviewing with, what industries they were in, and how far along those processes were, so that they could gauge how much decision-making time they have left. But his straightforward response felt quite genuine.
It was a good outcome. Round one, complete.
