Your interview process is intended to identify top talent among your applicants so you can hire them. If you’re struggling to find the right candidates – or to keep them interested when you do – your interview process may be costing you the talent you need. Here, we’ll discuss three ways your interview process may be costing you the very talent it seeks to locate.
How many rounds of interviews do you hold for candidates?
The longer the hiring process drags on, the more likely it is to discourage top candidates. Top talent may accept a role at another company or may decide to stay with their current employer rather than continue through multiple hiring rounds for a job offer they aren’t guaranteed to receive. Use tools like panel interviews to reduce the total number of interview rounds. A panel ensures that key decision-makers are still included while also being respectful of the interviewee’s time.
Step outside the (check)box.
Every candidate comes in expecting generic interview questions, and every candidate has prepared generic interview answers. These exchanges don’t tell you much, if anything, about the employee’s actual skills or approach to work – the things that matter most on the job. Top talent knows this. If you stick to generic interview questions, top candidates will wonder if you understand the job well enough to hire for it. Dig into the technical questions. Doing so gives you a better idea of the candidate’s skills and insight into the candidate’s thought process. It also improves the candidate’s perception of your company as one with a keen interest in the work and how it is done.
Respect candidates’ time the way you want them to respect yours.
Even the best potential employers lose candidates’ interest when they don’t communicate in a timely manner. Stay in touch with candidates even when an unexpected delay lengthens the hiring process. Never “ghost” a candidate after an interview – always communicate with them to say that their participation in the hiring process has come to an end.
