The way a company manages the interview process, from the very first job advert to contacting candidates, will reveal a lot about the company’s brand, value and how they treat their employees.
Check out HR Revolutions advice on what to include in the interview process:
1. Incorporate telephone interviews into the process – conducting telephone interviews is a great first step in the interview process. It allows you to obtain important information i.e., salary expectations, notice periods and level of experience quickly via a simple phone call. You are also able to engage their communication skills, excitement for the role and usually you can tell from a brief telephone call if they would be a great cultural fit for your team, before deciding to invite them to a face to face (F2F) interview.
2. Build and use standard interview and communication templates – using the same interview template for each role ensures the interview process is fair and consistent across all new hires. The templates should include a list of standard/role relevant questions that will allow the interviewers to assess how appropriate the candidate is for the role both experience wise and fit for the company. If you do not use a template it can lead to missing of key questions and hiring based on a feeling rather than feeling and fact. The interview questions should be not discriminatory. Interviewees can claim against you for discriminatory interviewing practices. It also worth reviewing and building an interview process for each department / team in your business.
3. Include Face to Face meetings in the plan (essential) – once the telephone interview is complete a meeting F2F with the candidate is an ideal way to establish their suitability for the role. This is a time to discuss their experience, skills set, gauge their motivations for applying and also an opportunity for them to meet the team. F2F interviews are a great way to engage the candidates body language and facial expressions and also gives the interviewer a chance to probe for further explanations to any responses. If F2F is impossible (i.e., for global offices) then video interviews are a great alternative.
4. Engage the relevant people – if your business has an HR team, then inviting them to attend interviews, as well as the hiring manager, it can benefit the process and can ensure fairness. HR can then support you in assessing how the interviews went and having 2 interviewers ensures discussions can be had afterwards to determine whether the candidate is suitable – in particular whether they have the correct skills and fit for the company.
5. Showcase your environment – visiting company offices are a great way for potential candidates to gain an insight into your working culture. It allows them to get a feel for atmosphere of the company, the people who work there and even the pace of the team. A warm greeting when they first arrive at the office is important, remember this is the first impression they will have of your office. It is important to note they need to like you as much as you need to like them to have a successful process. Please remember that once the interview is complete keep all of the communication tracked in one place!
We can help support your hiring plans and set you up with everything you need to conduct the process and make sure you are promoting your opportunities in the right manner to the right people.
Do you need help with your interview process or recruitment strategy? If so, please get in touch! Drop us an email at hello@hrrevolution.co.uk
