Interviews aren’t fair… so what??

We discussed this situation that says that interviews aren’t fair… So, I was wondering about the various strategies that people usually use or apply when they need to make the decision about how to go in… for an interview.

For this analysis (and a very weird one in my mind), we need to understand that there are 2 kinds of people – those who know that they are better candidates in the pool (Type A), and those who know that they are good, but there are better qualified people than them (Type B).

All these people use their own strategies. And I break down the ones that I have seen in the following categories:

1. Early Morning candidates – As the name states, these people are early morning people. They prefer the early morning slot. They have their own interesting reasons why they would do this.

a) Type A people who try to be in this spot, mostly think that they would want to set the bar high right in the morning, so that when the lower quality candidates that show up later jut don’t make the cut. Their strong belief is usually that the first impression is the strongest one.

b) Type B people who try to be in this spot are the ones who would want to make an impression as the first or second person in the morning. It is a proven fact that the most easy to remember slots for interviewers are ‘bracket spots’. So the attempt for this group is to overpower the Type A based on memory retention of the process.

2. Pre or Post Lunch Candidates – This is the group which prefers to be in the spot that (as the name states) is jut before or after lunch.

This is more generic – those that want to be a part of this group, are the people who tend to want to be remembered during the lunch conversation.

Type A candidates in this position tend to get spoken about a lot during the discussion and may get a stronger impression than other possible spots.

Type B candidates in this position can strengthen their candidature and come to par with the Type A candidates, if they can perform better.

On the contrary, if a Type A candidate just before lunch can be excellent compared to an average Type B candidate before lunch – this has different repercussions.

The post lunch spot has the benefit of being the fresh candidate after a round of discussion about the various candidates from different pools. For a Type A candidates, this can be a good opportunity to excel, however, for a Type B candidate, this may be detrimental as they will have a tough time living up to the best candidates discussed during the lunch.

3. Last candidate – Obviously, the last candidate of the day spot is a precious one. This is where the candidate is most remembered, or the most under pressure of performance.

For Type A candidates, this may be a spot where they may be able to excel. However, being at the end of the process, this may also mean that one mistake can cost them the opportunity.

For Type B candidates, this can be the most dangerous spot. And I wonder what benefit might one have by being in that spot??

BUT, here’s the real discussion topic. If the interviewers know that this situation exists, can they really adjust their parameters for evaluation based on the knowledge of this situation.

And to what extent, if yes…

Opinions welcome…