Stop testing people's loyalty at job interviews; it does not work

Have you ever been asked at an interview whether you would love or be loyal to the company? I've always wondered why recruiters keep asking that, as if expecting candidates to be acolytes.

I'm sure no one would dare say upfront they would jump ship in the next few years, but people still leave all the time. If someone does not display the requisite "love," "enthusiasm" or "loyalty," recruiters would then obviously say it is a valid reason not to hire them.

They also expect you to ask questions like what is in it for senior employees, what the company's growth plans are and how one could advance in this career, etc to prove your fealty. But nine out of ten times the only intention behind such questions is to get accepted, and they are not actually authentic inquiries.

Those who seem most enthusiastic at their job interviews are not always the ones who stay the longest; they are much more likely to be good actors. But then candidates always have to act at interviews or get eliminated quickly.

Empty promises are not, cannot be the things that guarantee an employee's commitment to the job. I wonder why employers keep making loyalty a criterion for hiring people instead of encouraging them to stay through better policies, benefits and clear career advancement.

It is time to drop the act and focus on the things that matter.