The interview stage of the hiring process is arguably the most important but often overlooked. Many employers coast through interviews without taking the time to consider how to create a positive candidate experience. More importantly, their interview process isn’t helping them identify candidates that are actually a good fit for the organization. Here’s how to fix that.
Hiring managers and anyone involved in the hiring process should be trained on how to conduct an effective interview. Without guidance on how to conduct an interview, things can go off the rails pretty quickly. There have been some horror stories where interviewers share inappropriate work stories or speak poorly about a coworker during an interview. It’s not a good look.
Instead, take the time to identify and train everyone who will be part of the hiring process. Get a gauge for their knowledge of the interview process and whether or not they know how to conduct an effective interview. For those that need it, provide training. You might offer video training or interview question guides to help educate them on proper interview techniques.
2. Include Different People
It is a good idea to involve various people across your organization in the interview process. Potential interviewers may include the candidate’s potential supervisor or coworkers, individuals from the department they may eventually work in, or the CFO/CEO of the company. No matter who you decide to involve in the interview process, each of them should have direct ties to the position the person is interviewing for. This makes their input more valuable because they know what is needed in that department or specific position. Just be sure each person receives the proper training to be included in the process.
3. Be Professional
The interview stage is as much of a chance for you to make a good impression as an employer as it is for the candidate to impress you. Don’t make inappropriate jokes or speak poorly about coworkers. This will give the candidate a negative idea about the organization, its work culture, and the environment employees work in.
4. Avoid Employment Bias
Even though you love your job and believe you are a great employer, not everyone will want to work with you. For some employers, this is unfathomable. There is a sort of mental block when it comes to interviewing and hiring. To them, there is one decision to be made at the end of an interview: whether or not they want to hire the person. However, they don’t consider that the person has to accept the offer. You have to be willing to adapt to different employee needs and, at the end of the day, be okay when they simply don’t want to work with you.
Utilizing the help of a staffing agency like Timpl can make sure you aren’t missing a single step in your hiring process. We can help you with recruiting, vetting, interviewing, and onboarding new employees. Contact us to learn more about how our team of professionals can assist you.