The Secret Interview - a good idea, or a great one?

A few weeks ago, I caught three episodes of a reality TV show slash contest on Channel 5 (I know, I KNOW), called "Secret Interview". The premise of the show, for those not in the know (i.e. the 99.9% of the population who aren't addicted to terrible telly), is that two competitors from different companies in the same industry are followed for a week by the film crew. The episodes I saw starred estate agents, hairdressers and shop girls. Or retail assistants, or whatever you call them nowadays that isn't sexist. They are girls, who work in a dress shop, to clarify. Now, the contestants know they have a job interview lined up with an industry leader (included some property tycoon I'd never heard of, the hairdresser Nicky Clarke - who of course even a salon-dodger like me is aware of, and Jo Elvin of Glamour magazine... although who in their right minds looks for a fashion editorial assistant in a low end fashion shop?), and are told they are being filmed for the week prior to this to see how they prepare themselves. What the viewer - and interestingly, their boss - knows, is that this filming is going to be seen by the prospective employer, and n fact forms the entire interview itself, with the hiring decision made solely on the basis of the candidate's performance in their "normal" role. Except it isn't their normal role. Oh no. Because we've got actors coming in, being the world's most awkward customers or work experience girls. People who would test the patience of a saint, let alone a pink-tressed fake-nailed Mummy's girl hairdresser, a lying blagging wide boy estate agent and a bleached blonde Daddy's girl fashion assistant. Long story short, they all have the worst working week of their lives, and then have the shock of their lives when they realise their potential employer - and role model - has been watching them all along. Watching them moan to their Mum (also their boss) about the work experience girl from hell (actor), watching them tell a customer (actor) they didn't like that they had to go and value a house so couldn't talk to them, watching them try and appease a customer (actor, well, that frumpy comedienne off "Show Me The Funny" who didn't win and is now an "actor") who thinks she's a size 8 but is in fact a 14.... you get the gist. And then they're made to watch the footage with their interviewer and given feedback. The cringe factor is enormous. It makes great telly, I can tell you. The best man or woman always gets the job in the end, but that's not saying much. I have my suspicions as to whether any of them (save the lovely and kind Marcus who got the job with Nicky Clarke) will have lasted 5 minutes, or are in fact anyone's dream employee... but any publicity's good publicity for the bosses, right? We also wondered in our house, what happened to the ones who lost the contest, whose bosses know they are looking for new jobs and failed to get one on national TV? Bet they feel a bit sheepish, but hey, they had their fifteen minutes of fame so that's enough. If I was their boss I'd keep them on their little toes from now on though, but I'm just a vindictive cow. Hey, my kids love me for it. 

Anyway, all this got me thinking (and that's dangerous as you know by now) about how seeing people in their work environment would be a really useful addition to an interview, as opposed to a replacement for an interview. Because anyone can put on an act at interview, and pretend to be someone they're not. Nobody confesses to being a workshy porn addict who has a fag break every half an hour, after all. Nobody admits to being grumpy to customers and spending more time applying make up than arranging merchandise. And nobody, when questioned about their strengths and weaknesses, answers "I am good at timekeeping but have compulsive tendencies to murder people and eat them. And I have acted on these before." Even with the advent of additional checks, people slip through the net. Let's face it, Ian Huntley passed his CRB check, and anyone else that does could still potentially be dangerous. They just haven't a) acted yet or b) been caught yet. Less scary, though, is the general behaviour and attitude of people. Let's keep psychopaths out of it, and agree that most of the population won't be hiding their murderous intentions from an interviewer. Even I don't harbour murderous intentions towards anyone other than Richard Hammond (before you ask, it's the bug eyes. And his smugness. Okay, and the height issue). But he's hardly likely to interview me, so I should be fine. And I DO have a CRB, if that reassures anyone, which it won't. But seriously, wouldn't it be good to be able to observe how people act in their current role, to help make the choice when it comes to hiring them? I'm not talking Apprentice style - that's ridiculous. Most people do not make gourmet sausages, have to find top hats at the cheapest price, create a fake brand, or hold their BlackBerrys at arm's length and shout into them as opposed to holding them to their actual mouths. I'm just talking watching - okay, stalking - someone at work. In their day to day routine and tasks, to observe how they carry out their work, how they interact with other people, and what sort of employee they are. Now, this started to make even more sense to me when the news about Andrew Mitchell, the Chief Whip, and his rant at the police outside 10 Downing Street hit the press. Mitchell's alleged to have called the police "effing plebs" for asking him to dismount from his bicycle and leave via the pedestrian gate. He felt that the main gates should be opened for him as they would be for other vehicles. Mitchell denied using the word "pleb", then the "f" word, then admitted he'd said something disrespectful but wouldn't say what... well, we've all read the news. It's still bubbling on, even today, as the Guardian reports that some of Mitchell's fellow Tories are pressurising him to resign. But he apologised to the police, so surely he should be left alone? Like I say to my kids, if you were really sorry, you wouldn't have done it in the first place. They love me for that too. Anyway, if someone as high profile as Mitchell can behave that way in the workplace (albeit outside), it throws an interesting light on the way that other people could too. Would watching footage of a potential employee behaving like Mitchell did on work premises put you off them, or could you excuse it as someone having a bad day (after all, he had been forced to go to a fine dining curry house for lunch, and that's stressful for anyone, even us plebs)? What if you witnessed a candidate being inappropriate at work, making dodgy sexist or racist jokes, or being snappy with the receptionists and rude to the cleaner? It is all a bit Big Brother, I grant you, but would make compelling viewing.I wonder how many people have been hired on the strength of a good CV, then a great interview... but within weeks turn out to be unsuitable due to their behaviour - they grate on everyone else's nerves, are negative and sarcastic or rude, or won't pull their weight. Obviously, this is why we have probationary periods. But these can last for months and most employers feel they've wasted valuable time on a totally useless employee - and then have to go through the process all over again to find someone else. Imagine if we could spy on them before making that offer, to see what they're really like. It would be fascinating, if nothing else, and offer some great insight into what the candidate is REALLY like, rather than  the impression they have worked hard - and in many cases most likely been coached by a recruiter - to give. I think it's a brilliant idea, and one that would be very useful to potential employers. And candidates too, if constructive feedback is given... they may have no idea how they come across at work, especially if their current boss is too nice/ wimpy / disinterested to tell them. Obviously, it'll never happen, because stalking people is a criminal offence. So I'll just have to stick to checking out peoples' Facebook pages to get the dirty on them, I suppose. I wonder if Andrew Mitchell has a FB profile...