Brigette Hyacinth, CEO and founder of Leadership EQ, took to LinkedIn to share why she hired a candidate who could "barely speak" during the interview. She added that though the candidate was "nervous,"  she had a "gut feeling" that hiring her would be the right decision.

CEO and founder of Leadership EQ, Brigette Hyacinth, just shared her recent experience of hiring a candidate who could barely speak during the interview. She added that even after the candidate was “nervous,” her “gut feeling" said that hiring this candidate would turn out to be the right decision. Till now the post has garnered more than 1 lakh likes on it with thousands of shares. 

Brigette started her post with “Disaster.” She wrote, "Disaster! So, I interviewed a highly recommended candidate. The interview was a nightmare. She was so nervous she could barely communicate. A deer in the headlight. She bombed miserably. Still, I couldn't get past my gut feeling that she was the best candidate for the job. Is it possible to overlook a poor interview performance?" 

"I gambled and decided to give her a try, and within six months, she was one of my top performers. Sometimes, it's hard to know a candidate's full capabilities in a job interview. We shouldn't be too quick to cross someone off who doesn't interview well. The truth is interviews can be nerve-wracking. There is so much more to a person than just passing/ failing an interview," she further added.

Soon after posting, the comment section started filling with positive or similar experiences. 

One user wrote, “During my next round of interviews, when I send an appointment for the interview, I plan on sending them the questions I want to ask to give them more time to prepare.

They may be less nervous, and it will let me see if this is someone who took the time to read the questions I ask.” 

Another one wrote, “Wow I was just thinking about a recent interview I had. I prep for the interview I was nervous so answers didn’t come out like I wish they had. I’m big on action are better than words. I rather show you than tell you and it’s hard to do that in a interview .Some people are great with their words no matter what and thats not me when I’m nervous. I wish a lot more people have that mind set and or interviewer could do things to help relax the candidate they are interviewing.”

A third LinkedIn user wrote, “I say this so often. I have always struggled with interviews (because sitting in front of a person or panel of people has NOTHING to do with the job I applied for or my skill set). Come watch me work and you’ll know I’m the best candidate for the job. We need to create “interviews” that set people up for success, that reflect the skills they need for the job they’ve applied for. Doing this will help make interviews accessible for all.”