Scott Tannen, the CEO and founder of Boll & Branch, is in charge of about 275 workers, the majority of whom he has personally interviewed. Over the course of his career, he claims to have interviewed over 1,000 applicants and hired between 400 and 500.
Tannen tells Indifact News Make It that he usually starts interviews with one question: "What do you know about Boll & Branch?" whether he's interviewing a potential intern or someone joining the C-suite. It's a simple inquiry that may instantly establish the tone and reveal a major red flag.
"I believe that the biggest red flag is when someone hasn't completed their homework," Tannen explains. "You must have completed your homework, but you are not required to know every answer. According to Tannen, he can tell whether a candidate has read and researched the company for a few hours and has taken the interview seriously.
At the very least, I want people to say, "I've learned this," or "I've been on your website, and I know you do business this way." Tannen says. "We're probably not off to the best start if they can't at least return what's on our Wikipedia page.
The CEO is searching for something more profound. He claims, "I've had people who, within reason, don't even know what we make." "They're like, 'Oh, you make bedding.
A more thorough response may state that the business, which Tannen and his wife founded more than ten years ago, produces high-end organic bedding along with linens, sleepwear, furniture, and home products.
According to Tannen, being well-prepared entails bringing questions for the interviewer along with self-assurance, excitement for the position, and curiosity about what you'll achieve by accepting it.
Tell me what you're enthusiastic about that you believe we can teach you, and then tell me how you can help," he says.
He remembers one particularly memorable interview with a recent intern who applied to be a merchandiser for the company. The student had no prior expertise in merchandising, but during the interview, she talked about how she built her own brand while in college and how she wanted to understand Boll & Branch's general operations.
Tannen adds, "It's one of the best interviews I've ever done because I just felt that she had this incredible desire to learn and this admiration for, at least from her perspective, how we had built our business."
According to Tannen, the intern is anticipated to return to the organization for a full-time position after graduation. In the end, he claims that being prepared for an interview is "really not a very hard thing to do, but it truly distances the great applicants from everybody else."