Wednesday, December 03, 2003

Appearances

CinWeekly needs to rethink who the choose to interview on some subjects. Who they choose makes them look bad. In this story on "Interview terror" the reporter uses Sharon Potts, a senior associate recruiter for Convergys, as the source on methods about having good interviews. Now, why is Sharon Potts bad? Well, there is nothing wrong with her particularly, the real problem is whom she works for: Convergys. What's the big deal you may ask? Well, you must not remember the biggest election issue, the infamous Convergys deal, worth $52.2 of tax payer's money. Part of that was a promise to add 275 more jobs downtown. Convergys has yet to add those jobs, and has instead laid off at least 40.

CinWeekly looks bad here because the Enquirer was supporting the deal, to the point of holding off on a column with mild criticism until after the deal was passed. What does this CinWeekly story do? Well, it makes the reader very aware that Convergys is interviewing, which must mean they are hiring. If they are hiring that must mean they are living up to the agreement with the city. I am sure the PR folks at Convergys sure hope that what people come away with from the article.

Potts gave some interesting advice in the story:
She also suggests researching a company's history before interviewing and preparing three or four questions to ask an employer about the company to show your interest. Potts warns it would be wise to avoid sounding like a know-it-all, however.
I would suggest that if you interview with Convergys, don't ask them about the $52.2 million dollar deal and surely don't ask how many of those 275 jobs are really going to just be transfers out of Norwood and into downtown.

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