7th September 2018
A Guide to Attracting Talent: Tips for Recruiting Online
Getting the Best Out of Interviewees
Have you
ever interviewed somebody, completed the offer and induction process and then
realised you’ve made a poor hiring decision? If so you’re not alone and you’ll
know it is frustrating, time consuming and costly. Replacing staff costs
British businesses £4 billion each year.
Of course
as hiring managers it’s easy to blame the new employee; perhaps there were a
few little white lies on their CV, they’re not the person they portrayed at
interview or maybe they’re just not fit for the job? It happens.
However
consider this; was your interview process as effective as it could have been?
Here are some simple interview tips to help avoid this mistake before, during
and after your next interview.
Be prepared
We seem
to constantly remind applicants to be prepared, but in reality as the
interviewer how prepared are we?
We’re not
just talking about questions (we’ll get to that later) as there is a lot to
consider even before you pen your first question. Is the interview room
appropriate? Consider the set up: atmosphere, temperature, surroundings,
possible distractions. Remember you’re interviewing that person because you
want them to show you what they can do. People will do that best in an
environment where they’re comfortable.
Do your
research. Dependent on the type of role look into the applicant’s background.
Does their LinkedIn profile match their CV? If not, why not? Know what you want
to find out about them when you meet.
Interview techniques
Interviews
don’t have to be the same monotonous back and forth we’re traditionally used
to. Make them engaging, interactive and interesting– this will make what can be
a tedious exercise more enjoyable for you and the applicant.
Plan
ahead and ask them to do the same. Where appropriate to the vacancy request a
portfolio of past work or set tasks such as preparing a presentation or completing
a short exercise relevant to the role and ask them to bring it with them. Not
only will this encourage them to engage, it will show you who really wants to
work for your company and the potential skills and knowledge they can bring.
Do something different
Include
assessments within the process. These can be group or individual tasks and can
provide interviewers with a good insight into a person’s character, skills,
knowledge and attributes that may be difficult to assess verbally. This also
provides the candidate with another opportunity to shine; the strongest
applicant might not be the best interviewee and this provides them with a
different platform to perform.
Know your questioning technique
Use
competency-based interviews with open, probing and closed questions as
appropriate, seeking examples to back up bold statements. People will often say
what they think we want to hear and this isn’t helpful. You need people who can
answer your questions and provide concrete examples and apply these to your
company or the role when doing so.
Ask follow-up questions
Good
applicants will have prepared answers to most common interview questions.
Asking a follow up question forces them to provide a more in depth answer which
can be more revealing. Asking a thoughtful follow up question also shows them
that you are listening and interested in what they’re telling you.
Get a second opinion
Ask
somebody to interview alongside you. This makes for a more transparent
interview process and it also removes some of the burden of making the decision
alone. Interviewing with a colleague or two will offer another perspective, as
it’s likely they will notice things about the applicant and their responses
that you missed and vice versa. It will provide you with an opportunity for
discussion and a more rounded opinion of a person.
If this
is not possible then introduce them to the rest of the team as a minimum. It
can be a brief five minute introduction disguised as a tour of the office; this
will provide you with a good insight into how they may integrate with the rest
of the team and how they cope meeting new people. It also allows your team to
form an opinion that you can then draw on.
Non-verbal cues
We all
know that it’s not just what an interviewee says that counts, it’s the way they
act before, during and after. A person’s body language including posture,
expression, presentation and attitude can also provide useful insights. There’s
no exact science to reading another person’s body language, but being able to
recognise positive and negative attributes can prove a useful tool.
It’s not
only the candidate’s body language you need to be aware of; take note of your
own. It’s often stated that when people are comfortable they will mirror one
another’s body language. Be mindful of this – is the interviewee slouching
because you are?
Finally…
Take as
many notes as you can without losing too much eye contact. What they’re saying,
what they’re not saying, body language and tone of voice – anything to jog your
memory later.
Having
some pre-prepared questions with plenty of room for making notes can prove
extremely useful when reviewing the interview later on.
Consider
a second interview. Second round interviews can be useful to find out any
information you missed the first time round, and provide an insight into a
person on a different day or at a different time of day. You have to be sure
about the decision you make and reaffirming initial perceptions can help with
this.
Don’t
make an offer for the sake of filling a role. If you haven’t found the right
person, start again. It can be time consuming and frustrating but hiring the
wrong person will only lead you back to the beginning anyway and after a lot of
expense.
At JVP we guide and support employers on a
daily basis to recruit the right people to their organisation. If you’re keen
to implement a comprehensive online recruitment strategy but are concerned
about the time and cost investment required, JVP can help – ask us how!
Drop us an email at Services@JVPGroup.co.uk or give us a call on 01745 774955.