The Interview That Made Me Rethink Everything
There’s an interview I still remember (and not for the right reasons).
The candidate broke down. She was crying. And it was my fault.
I was intense. Sharp. Focused. Digging deep into answers. Testing for resilience, ownership, accountability.
I pushed hard, thinking it would reveal something useful.
And it did. But not about them.
What I saw later, was that I wasn’t creating a space for them to be real. I was testing people, interrogating them, not creating a safe space to get to know them.
Yes, I made hires this way. But something was always off. People didn’t stay as long. They didn’t thrive. They didn’t trust the process and they didn't trust me.
Eventually, I realised why.
I was running a hiring process that made sense in my head but not in the real world.
Let me break down what I changed.
What I Got Wrong (And What I Changed)
Pressure ≠ Insight I believed pressure would reveal the truth. But high pressure often reveals anxiety, not ability.
Intensity ≠ Clarity I thought being intense made interviews more rigorous. But it often clouded judgment.
Testing ≠ Trust I tested people because I thought it helped them prove themselves.
Hires ≠ Retention Sure, I filled roles. But I didn’t retain the best talent.
Final Thought
I used to think I was running a tough, no-nonsense hiring process.
Turns out, I was just making it harder for great people to shine and driving them away from what felt like a toxic culture.
The lesson? Clarity is stronger than intensity. And if you want signal, start by building trust.
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