Interviewing by a PD as witnessed by... me!

I have been reading The Pursuit of WOW! By Tom Peters, and it has got me thinking about different experiences that I have encountered in my life.

Being in radio for 13 years, I have had many opportunities to interview with several different program directors. One experience that stands out was when I interview for Scott Sands who is Program Director for WZPL in Indianapolis.

I had to do the normal stuff – Send a tape and resume, which got me in the door, then I had to do an air shift (which was a blast – because I had always admired the station). The funny thing was that there wasn’t that much of what would be called a ‘FORMAL’ Interview. Most of our conversations were in Scott’s car as we drove to and from Dinner, and to and from the hotel to the station.

When my Sunday evening shift was over, he took me to a local place to grab a bite to eat. He had mentioned that maybe some of the staff would come by. Well, it was pretty much the whole staff – give or take a few. I remember that Dave Decker the Midday guy/APD/MD was there – great guy – the promotions team, a couple sales folks, I think there were more, and a couple came late to hang out as well. It was good dinner, drinks and conversation.

Little did I know that that was the majority of the interview.

I did meet with Scott briefly in his office the following morning. But nothing really in depth – just the semantics of what the job would be if I was hired.

Needless to say, I wasn’t hired for that job. Perhaps because he was good friends with my Program Director at that time, Jimmy Steele, and they apparently had had a conversation about me. (which came up at an inopportune time a couple months later)(that’s another story)

But, that is one experience of Interviewing that I will always remember. I really enjoyed it.

He obviously was looking to see how I would Gel with the staff that was already assembled. (You gellin’? Like a felon)

He was seeing if I could think on my feet.

He was looking to see how I would relate, and his folks would relate to me.

Tom Peters in a “rant” in his book Pursuit of Wow – talks of his displeasure with drug testing. (this book was written several years ago – so I wonder is he still has the same ‘distaste’ for it today as he did then – I bet so!)

He says that the interviewing process should be like a courting process, setting up times for Coffee, for lunch for interviews with the whole staff, for dinners, for mingling with everyone on all levels within the company.

That the process should take several weeks of time. That way, you truly know who you are getting, and the need for a drug test is non existent. (pgs 88-89 if you want to read it)

Scott Sands was doing a mini version of this when I visited him and his station and staff in Indy those couple days.

Cool stuff. And I will remember it for a long time to come.

Thanks Scott!