Each has its own professional deformation. When a recruiting expert starts watching horror movies before Halloween, he sees them as hiring. Alas, those who are trying to hunt often have a mirror effect. Basically, for them, recruiting is a horror movie, and recruiters are Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers all rolled into one.
Who is this article for: The author originally aimed it at recruiters and HR, but I found useful thoughts in it for the “other side of the barricades”. This article may also come in handy for fans of horror, thrillers and dark humor. We watched some of these films with the whole team. It was fun. I squeezed out some water
from the original and adapted the text to our specifics.
Well, to finish the lengthy intro as soon as possible, disclaimer: beware of spoilers.
1. Host (2020)
This fresh mocumentari (hello, Blair Witch) is built around the theme of video conferencing. The film was shot in a lockdown environment, where everyone has fun as they can. According to the plot, a group of irresponsible comrades decides to arrange a session of spiritualism through Zoom. When the spirit agrees to this “interview” and accepts the request, it finds that the youth is communicating with it without due respect. Hence - the spoiled mood and reprisals against the offenders.
Lesson learned : Even before the apocalyptic 2020, recruiters and hiring managers began to actively conduct online interviews with candidates. For remote mode, a skillset such as a meaningful candidate experience is especially important.- that is, to provide a decent candidate experience. At the same time, do not shame the employer's brand and show respect for the applicant. In addition, the author provides a link to a selection of tips on how to make an interview perfect for both parties.
2. The Shining (1980)
And again about the employer's brand. The author provides material about the importance of a strong brand.
When Jack accepts an offer to become the caretaker of an abandoned Overlook hotel, he has no idea what awaits him. The manager praises the "goodies" and bonuses: the glorious history of the hotel, the picturesque countryside, but he does not focus on the disadvantages of work. However, the cunning employer casually mentions that the previous employee could not stand isolation, but Jack was already carried away by the idea and did not pay attention to it.
What is the lesson : Be open about the difficulties and pitfalls of the work, otherwise everything will go wrong. Translator's note: a lesson for candidates - listen carefully to the interlocutor and read between the lines, the enemy may blabber.
3. Scream (1996)
Legendary Wes Craven's film hints to recruiters how important it is to be on the trend. When Ghostface begins to crumble the youth, young movie fan Randy knows what's going on right away. After all, he has already seen all this in a bunch of films. He knows cine stamps and what leads to what. Therefore, he tries to teach friends to be flexible (surprise - agile), what not to do and how to resist the enemy. Naturally, nobody listens to him.
Lesson learned : If you want to be heard, back up your point of view with proofs and a strong evidence base. Here, the author provides a guide on how to become a strategic talent advisor for your management, and advises you to study trends and what to expect in HR and hiring in the coming years.
4. American Psycho (2000)
Suddenly, the author saw in this film a demonstration of the importance of emotional intelligence . After all, some unlucky "personnel officer" let Patrick Bateman into the staff. And this major only cares about the beauty of his business card, but certainly not the experiences of others. He can dance with inspiration to a vintage record and not think about hurting the senses (and body) of others with his ax.
Lesson : Don't just look at the candidate's gorgeous Hard Skills and brilliant resume. Know how to evaluate Soft Skills (empathy and EQ, first of all).
5. The Thing (1982)
Until recently, when evaluating Culture Fit (whether a candidate will fit into the team and the culture of the company), the beer test was popular. In a nutshell: if you do not mind having a beer with a candidate, then he is “his own person” and suits the team. As a result, this approach forms homogeneous teams, where everyone thinks and behaves in approximately the same way. Is this suitable now, especially in high-tech areas? I think no. And the classic by director John Carpenter perfectly shows the failure of the "beer dough". The alien parasite perfectly mimics, and none of the team is able to distinguish the "impostor" (hello, Among us), so he behaves perfectly.
What's the lesson: What's the use if the parasite fits into the team, but does not bring any value (value) to the team and workflows? The author contrasts the Culture Add approach with the classic Culture Fit. In the case of Culture Add, a manager, team lead or recruiter looks at whether a candidate will bring a new experience, point of view, approaches or useful skills to a company or project. In the cinnabar version, the alien brought only total suspicion to all teammates, chaos and damage to state property.
6. Happy Death Day (2017)
Everyone is wrong. And recruiters even more so . Either a Java expert will be offered a JS project, or they will start asking the candidate, whom they themselves got: “Why do you want to work in our company?”. Or they think in stereotypes (all IT people are introverts, right? - the translator's angry note). The heroine of the film Happy Death Day (the bloody analogue of Groundhog Day) is also mistaken throughout the film. But he still learns from his mistakes.
What is the lesson : in this case, two whole lessons:
- Analyzing your own mistakes helps to improve both your skills and move forward.
- Everyone deserves a second chance. If in the process of hiring the candidate made some mistake, do not rush to cut him out of the list because of some trifles. Often, top performers who are not experienced in self-presentation can show themselves not on their best side. But in fact, they can produce great results and drag the whole project on themselves.
PS I read the original, translated it and was a little horrified at the way of thinking of the author of the article. Of course, the text is half-joking. But, as you understand, in every joke, there is some truth. Sometimes this share tends to one. If you have vivid analogies and insights about these or other films, welcome to the comments.