Curiosity Didn’t Kill This Kat(rina)!

Has curiosity ever killed a cat? 😼

According to Wikipedia, “Curiosity killed the cat” is a proverb used to warn of the dangers of unnecessary investigation or experimentation.

And indeed the wrong kinds of questions could land you in hot water. Like the one relayed to me recently by a female recruitment consultant, that her male colleague should not have asked! The one that had her questioning her actions instead of telling him off for misogyny.

But I digress.

In the hiring process we must be curious. We must delve. It’s our duty.

We are out to match the best person for the job with our hiring manager. And without countless questions in the intake and a willingness to be vulnerable/risk looking silly we cannot really understand the role. Without countless questions to candidates we cannot establish if they are ‘the one’.

But we must also question our reactions and motivations.

As Glenn Martin and I discuss below in the video from the launch for Edition 2 of The Robot-Proof Recruiter. Glenn hit me with a doozy of a question, of course! And what follows between us is a classic demonstration of curiosity… as I potentially evade the question. I’ll let you decide! 😉

(Downloaded, the video quality isn’t great but watch the full replay here. It’s so good!!)

Get curious

Gosh, I just realised that this article is similar to my last one, the one about perception and reality, and being called selfish by a complete stranger on the street. (Still irks me!)

But… what I want you to do this time is to think back through the last 5 people you rejected at screening. You may want to pull up their notes to refresh your memory.

I want you to reflect on your actions.

Get curious with yourself.

Get curious with your reactions.

Did you dismiss them based on evidence that they were not a match for the job or based on your own biases/reactions?

I know, it’s quite an ask. But it’s also fascinating when you start delving into the real reasons for your reactions to people and situations.

Take Ms-Calls-Me-Selfish from the last newsletter.

• Am I p*ssed off at being called selfish? Nope, I can be selfish. I am selfish when I won’t let Banjo walk where he wants to because he’ll cut his paws on glass. (You’ll need to read the last one for this to make sense! 😆)
• So why am I p*ssed off? Because she wouldn’t let me speak. Because she wouldn’t listen. And that goes back to a deep childhood wound of not being heard. Interesting, right? That I can still be bothered when someone doesn’t listen to my truth.

So get curious.

If it’s possible you’re dismissing someone out of turn, lean into your thinking and your actions.

Find the real source.

And consider making a different decision next time.

P.S. If this got you thinking or surprised you, check out The Collective, a coaching & mentoring space I am leading for recruiters. It’s for those who want a safe place amongst peers to improve their hiring manager relationships & candidate experience. We’ll brainstorm real-life scenarios and this was just a taster!