It’s so easy to get fooled by good communication skills

I am taking a lot of interviews these days. Telephonic, face to face, through references, consultants etc. In the last one month, I would have spoken to more than 20 people. Despite the many years of interview experience and practical and theoretical knowledge of assessing individuals, I realized that it is so easy to fall into what I call the “Communication Conundrum”.

Candidates who speak good English, are well-groomed and have a good personality, certainly have the edge over others. You can’t help but get biased.

When I met this one guy, I felt I had got the diamond I had been looking for. I was swayed and swamped by his control over the language, he knew just when to pause and make the right facial expression. I asked him questions, he answered well. I threw challenges at him, he dodged them well. I shortlisted him for the second round.

I presented his candidature with such confidence and excitement to my supervisor that even she was confident of closing this position with this guy. But we didn’t. We couldn’t.

In the second round, when my supervisor drilled him with domain related questions, his lack of depth was out there in the open. He tried all he could to ensure his suave communication would land him the job, but it was too obvious- he had been using his English at his workplace to get away with lapses and gaps. He just wasn’t a good performer; despite the good ratings his current manager was giving him.

Refusing to believe that this candidate could fail, I confronted my supervisor and asked for specific details. After the twenty-minute discussion with her, where she helped me evaluate the candidature in detail, it was crystal clear to me- I had fallen prey to the Communication Conundrum. The mystery and enigma of English words had charmed me. I assumed his understanding of his subject as a given since he could communicate well. Because he could build stories and navigate the interview questions to his directions, I had been fooled by his personality.

While I take that as a learning and would be doubly cautious of the shortlisting’s I do in future, the experience just brings back so many memories of colleagues cribbing about biases in appraisals and being side-lined for promotions and for not getting their dream jobs. I am sure there is a study that proves that the direct correlation between good verbal abilities and success in life. And as un-fair as it may seem, it is what it is.

Vala Afshar, one the most followed people on Twitter and an influencer, recently tweeted this:

The top 3 is everything around communication. It is imperative for you to ensure your child learns develops excellent communication skills. In no way I am discounting the importance of domain knowledge, hard work and aptitude but the fact is that your first impression, the first few minutes, the elevator pitch you will make is all dependent on your words- the way you speak and write. What you speak and write is dependent on the other factors (aptitude/knowledge) but the how you speak would always make or break the deal.

So, if you are already not invested in this critical and most important skill- start now. It’s never too late to learn it yourself or to ensure your kids learn it.