As you are probably aware there is a real battle for talent across most disciplines, so it’s crucial that you, your business and your recruitment process is prepared to ensure you don’t miss out on the best talent in the market.
There are many things to consider when it comes to attracting and hiring talent, such as the package you are offering, have you positioned your brand correctly to attract the best talent and more importantly have you created a recruitment process that is efficient and quick?
In this article we are going to focus on one of the steps of the recruitment process that has caused many issues for businesses hiring talent… the interview stage. You may be thinking, “it’s an interview, surely you just invite candidates in and ask them questions to see if they will fit the role?”… yes this is true, but have you really thought about your objectives and goals for the interview? Do you really know the type of person that you want to hire? Are there specific skills and experiences that are deal breakers if the candidate does or doesn’t possess them?
All these questions help to delay the decision making process and in a climate where candidates have choice, that time can often be the difference between you hiring a great person or not. To help you get the most out of the interview stage, we have shared the four most important areas to consider to help make the process more informative, efficient and effective…
Prepare and plan the interview
Just like a candidate would for the interview, preparation is key to a successful interview. Making sure you have reviewed the candidate’s CV and any other documents that are associated with the candidate. We would also suggest you visit their LinkedIn profile for any further information.
It’s not a good look to come into the interview and start reading the candidate’s CV whilst they are in the room and watching you do this… it can often show that you haven’t given this person the time they deserve prior to the interview and we have had feedback from candidates about this exact thing and it doesn’t go down well.
When you are planning the interview, write out the questions that you want to ask, to ensure you don’t miss any during the interview and to make sure you are asking each candidate the same questions, so you are running a fair process. Asking the right questions can also help to reduce the time you need to get the information you want.
Lastly, when planning the interview have you thought about who will be in the interview? It’s common practice for the Hiring Manager and someone from HR to sit in on the interview, but have you considered someone from the team that they will be working in… someone who is possibly at the same level of seniority as the candidate if they secured the job? It can help to get a different perspective.
Don’t just focus on the must-haves
We all want the perfect candidate for every role, but have you thought about the possibility that the perfect candidate isn’t always going to be sat in front of you? This isn’t to say they aren’t right for the role, it’s just that they may not tick all of the boxes in a potentially long list of must-haves. Have you considered that, if this is the case then what skills, experiences and knowledge gaps are and aren’t a deal breaker? Which areas can be developed and learned and which can’t?
It’s important to keep an open mind with everyone you meet, just because they don’t have all of the skills now it’s not to say that with the help and support of you and your business that they won’t quickly learn and become a key member of your team.
Offer time for questions
An interview is an opportunity for you to meet candidates and find out about them, their skills and their knowledge, but it’s also an opportunity for the candidate to find out more about the role, the business and you. Give each candidate the opportunity to ask questions to make sure they walk away with no reservations, plus it’s a great way to further sell the opportunity and find out more about the candidate based on the questions they ask.
Be decisive
As we said at the start of this article, there is a real battle for talent across most disciplines. So with this in mind it’s really important to make sure you can act quickly, from making your final decision, offering the candidate and sending out employment contracts. Delaying these steps can really impact securing talent, as you may not be the only company the candidate has interviewed with and it shows real commitment if the recruitment process is smooth and slick.
We have seen a number of clients who take too long to make a decision and lose out on talent, as the candidate feels uncomfortable that it’s taking too long and feels like the company isn’t fully committed to them joining. This may not be the case, the delay could be a genuine one caused by a number of decisions makers in the recruitment process, but you have to consider how this looks to the candidate.
"In a candidate short market, getting top talent onboard is really challenging. If you see what you like, go for it! Arrange the interview, give the process the time it deserves, give the feedback and make the offer."
- James Turner, Director | Telecoms
We wrote an article that discusses how when it comes to the recruitment process speed is important, which offers some key insights into threats to your business hiring talent when your recruitment process is slow. Check out the article 'Why speed is important when hiring talent'.
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