This is a guest post written by Sue Lingard of Cezanne HR, an online HR Software provider, helping HR professionals save time, work smarter and achieve more.
It’s no secret that recruitment can take up a huge amount of time; from advertising the role, to sifting through CVs, conducting interviews, making offers and on boarding new starters. It can be tempting to cut corners along the way, and whilst online recruitment HR software and testing tools will help speed along the process, some short cuts can waste more time and money.
When you’ve vacancies that need to be filled quickly, it may sound like a nice idea to only have to interview each candidate once, or skip a second chance to meet after a good first interview, but here’s why one interview is never enough:
- It’s not good use of time
Leaping straight from the CV to a one-time-only interview means there isn’t the opportunity to filter out candidates that look great on paper, but don’t match the job spec when you drill down into the detail. Having just one round of interviews skips the screening process, and risks wasting the time of everyone who needs to be involved in the interview process. Include a round of telephone interviews and initial face-to-face interviews to get the foundation questions out of the way before you invite them to meet the hiring manager.
- First impressions can be misleading
According to a study from Monster.co.uk, “job seekers have on average, just six minutes and 25 seconds during the first meeting to impress potential employers.”, with “tattoos, handshakes and time-keeping” important factors when making lasting first-impressions about a candidate. But are these always the most relevant factors when it comes to recruitment?
Even experienced recruiters can struggle to overcome their instinctive bias, and allow first impressions get in the way of making a decision that’s best for the whole business. By involving others in the interview process – and providing more time to get to know the candidate better –a balanced view is more likely.
- It could lead to the candidate making the wrong decision
Interview processes are there for both sides to figure each other out and ensure that there is a good fit. Someone visiting your offices for the first time is unlikely to fully take in all of the details of the role – or what it would be like working for your organisation.
Inviting them back in for a second interview, and giving them the chance to meet other people,ensures they’ll get a better idea of the company culture, and gives them the chance to ask any questions they didn’t think of the first time round.
- You won’t build a relationship with the applicant
In a competitive job market, the relationship you build with candidates during the interview process is critical. If a candidate has to choose between two attractive job offers – one from a company they met for just an hour, another from one that’s spent more time with them, and where they’ve met the people they’ll be working with, as well as senior management, which one do you think they’ll choose? Neuroscience suggests it will be the one where they feel they’ll have the best chance of fitting in.
Building relationships has another positive impact. If the candidate relates to you and your business objectives, and can visualise being part of the team, chances are they’ll be prepared to accept your offer over a higher one from another organisations that’s potentially bigger and better known.
- There simply won’t be enough time
There’s a lot of ground to cover in an interview process, especially when recruiting for more senior positions. Research shows that professionalism, high-energy and confidence are the top three traits employers say they are looking for in new hires, but you’ll have a checklist of qualities and skills you need the candidate to demonstrate, and this can take a time to investigate.
- You’ll instantly limit the amount of people who can meet them
The great thing about having multiple interviews is that different people can be involved at each stage. Use a round of interviews to screen the candidates before you bring in the hiring manager, and then invite key members of the team they’ll be working with to ask questions.
Google are just one of the many companies that have recognised the value of this approach. “You’ll probably meet your prospective manager and a peer,” Laszlo Bock, Senior Vice President of People Operations at Google tells WIRED, “but more important is meeting one or two of the people who will work for you. In a way, their assessments are more important than anyone else’s—after all, they’re going to have to live with you.” This sends a strong signal to candidates about Google being non-hierarchical, and it also helps prevent cronyism, where managers hire their old buddies for their new teams.”
The implications of a great interview process go well beyondthe job offer. New employees who really understand what they’ve signed up to, and have already met the people they are working with, settle in faster,are stronger company advocates and are much less likely to leave during the first few months.
So, next time you’re recruiting, take a look at your interview process and see if it’s helping you attract – and retain – the staff your business deserves.
