Get a Head Start on Your 2022 Hiring...Today! What You Should Do to Fill Your Candidate Pipeline

Hiring managers and recruiters...are you ready for 2022?

There are things that you can do now to get a head start on next year's hiring. In this article you'll learn some helpful tips and strategies to help you connect with and engage candidates to help fill your roles with top, diverse talent.

Get Good?At?Inclusive Interviews??

Bias awareness?

I know we hear about it all the time, but I specifically want to share some things that you as a hiring manager can do in the process of trying to reduce bias in your hiring process.??

One thing is to make sure that you understand the challenges in your hiring process when there is bias.?

And?there is?always bias...??

So,?one of the things that you can do as a hiring manager is to seek out professional help:?

• to assess and evaluate what your bias?is?and??
• to train your teams to mitigate for that bias?

You and your team need to be aware of your biases so that when you're in the interview process and when you're assessing talent you work through it to get past it.?

As the hiring manager you are in a very unique position to be able to do that.?

I’ve talked before about the need to hire for values and not necessarily for culture fit. This is a way to make sure that you are?levelling?the playing?field and?being fair.?

So,?the other thing, and?probably one?of the most actionable items that we can talk?about,?is interviewer capability.?

Make sure that, as a hiring manager and a leader in your company,?you've?got the right people?on?your?interviews,?and?they're?prepared to do the interviews.?

Interviewer experience?

Take experienced interviewers and get those people into your interview. Sometimes that becomes a problem because the experienced interviewer may not be a great interviewer, so if you are looking to make sure that you've got a team of people who can assess the talent, make sure that there's training for those interviewers.?

Also, make sure that you're aware of the question that this interviewer has been asking for the last five, six, seven or even twenty years that may not be appropriate in today's market.?

If?you're?interviewing candidates the same way as you interviewed them 15 or 20 years ago just so you can?maintain?that “culture fit”, you may want to?look?at that practice.?

Interviewing tips?

Make sure that you've got a model where you're able to assess the candidate and understand whether or not they gave you all the answers to the questions you were looking for.?

For example, if you interview a candidate who's from a diverse background and your interview team is all homogeneous and came from the same backgrounds, when you ask that candidate a question, it may not come back in the cadence, the language, and/or the tonality that you're looking for so you're not going to hire them.?

I've seen this happen in multiple companies over multiple years and it's not necessarily because the interviewer didn't want to hire someone, it was because they didn't have a way of evaluating them.?

Evaluation tools?

I use a tool?that’s?called S.P.A.R.K.L.E. This is a tool that allows you to?probe?and ask questions of the candidate during your interview.??

This is a framework for listening?for?the answers to your interview questions.??

So,?the Sparkle is:?

• Situation?
• Problem?
• Action?
• Results?
• Knowledge?
• Lessons learned, and?
• Evidence?

The “S” in Sparkle stands for “what's the story” in a situation where the candidate had to solve an issue??

This is typically designed for a behavioral interview so if you say, for example, “hey, tell me about a time when you had to solve a difficult customer issue.”?

You’re?listening for?them?to talk?about the story that they had in that situation.?It’s?going to let you really know what the candidate was trying to solve.?

?The “P” is for what Problem were they're trying to solve? What was their responsibility? What was their role in the situation? And what was the goal that they were trying to solve for??

?The “A” is, what Action did they take to solve the problem? What did the candidate do and how did they do it??

You want them to give you examples of things that they did,?and?you can ask them questions like, “walk me through the steps that you took. Exactly what did you do?”?

You're?trying to get to the Action that the candidate took during that exercise of solving the problem.?

?The “R” is for what are the Results that they achieved from those actions? What was the outcome? What were the actions that they took as part of the effort, and how did it turn out??

The “K” is, what do they know now that they?didn't?know then, and how would they?adjust?their effort???

The “L” is for what are the lessons learned and how would they apply those lessons in a future effort or a future problem??

And then the “E” in sparkle is, what Evidence do they have today that says their actions were successful and had the impact they wanted, and that it worked the way they expected it to??

So that's just an overview of the S.P.A.R.K.L.E. framework. If you get this under your belt, it will be a great tool to help you with your interviews and to better assess candidates.?

Granted, S.P.A.R.K.L.E. is probably a little bit long and a little bit more complicated, but it lets you dig in to learn more about prospective employees.?

How to use S.P.A.R.K.L.E.?

The way you use this in application is, if a candidate answers a question but they don't fully answer the question the tendency of the interviewer is to just kind of write them off and move to the next question.?

My suggestion is that you probe that candidate if they?didn't?give you enough detail?about?what their actions were. Just ask him, “hey, tell me a little bit more about that...let me understand a little bit more about what you're sharing.”??

That’s one way that you can continue to probe that candidate.?

A complementary framework to the S.P.A.R.K.L.E. framework is the D.I.C.E. framework.??

??

?D.I.C.E. is used as part of the actions, the results and the knowledge and it's used to probe the actions of the candidate on the results and on hypothetical solutions.??

• D - data or details??
• I - impact and influence?
• C - collaboration and communication?
• E - execution and excellence?

?D - data or details?

What data did you use? How did you decide to take those steps???

I - impact and influence?

What was the impact of your project? And who did you have to influence to get things done???

C - collaboration and communication?

Who or what else was involved? How did you keep everyone on the same page??

E - execution and excellence?

How did you put everything together? What went well? Was everyone satisfied with the outcome???

You’re?going to use this D.I.C.E framework when?you're?talking about?actions,?and you need to probe the candidate. What did the candidate do and how was it done???

Sample statements or questions to obtain action:?

• Walk me through the steps you took?
• Exactly what did you do???

Sample statements or questions?about?results:?

• What was the result???
• What was the business impact???
• What were the effects of your actions???

Other questions:?

• What lessons did you learn that you can?apply?in the future??
• What was the evidence that your efforts worked??

With the combination of D.I.C.E. and S.P.A.R.K.L.E., you will be able to probe candidates, asking them questions in a structured way.?

This allows you to get the information that you need to?determine?how?much the candidate knows and how well they?did on?their projects.?

Have diverse interviewers?

Regarding?the interview questions, the other thing as a hiring manager that you can do is to make sure you are?showcasing?and have diverse interviewers.?

If?you've?got diversity in your company - and when I say?diversity,?I'm?saying broadly...certainly ethnicity and gender but if you?don't?have the ethnicity or the gender in your company,?go find?people who just think differently and get them on the interview.?

Sometimes we only want people who are subject matter experts, but one of the things that will help is just having that diversity of thought on your interview.??

Doing that is going to put you in a position to better evaluate, “is that candidate someone we want to bring to the table because they have the values, the skills and the background that we want?”?

The other thing you want to do is really look at the role requirements.??

A lot of times, as a manager you're trying to hire the best person with all the skills available for that job and we cram the job descriptions with lots of “nice-to-haves” but not necessarily the right requirements to do the job.??

So instead of stuffing the job description, use just the basic qualifications needed to do the job.?

Change how you interview -?e.g.?use video, reduce the number of interviews?

One way video interviews?

One of the first things you want to do is to decide what kind of video interview you're going to do.?

Are you?going to?do the one-way virtual interview that gets recorded and then gets reviewed later???

There are some platforms that specialize in that.?

Challenges to one-way interviews?

One of the challenges with the one-way virtual interview is the candidate is having to speak into a camera. They?can't?see feedback or interact with the group which makes it?difficult?to have that conversation.?

One way to coach candidates through that is to tell them something like:?

“Imagine someone else is on the other side of this camera who is going to review your interview. They're going to hear your answers, so this is your opportunity to give them a richer understanding of who you are, what you're about and why you want to work for their company.”?

This kind of coaching is necessary for?a?one-way virtual recorded interview.??

If you do that, the other thing to keep in mind when you're doing that one-way recorded interview is if you do a lot of these, your hiring manager or your interviewer who reviews those video interviews might get tired or fatigued because there's no interaction.?

They've got the same challenges that the candidate has - there's no interaction; they can't see body language...they can't see anything...they can just see the answers.?

This is why it’s so important to space the number of interviews that you're having someone review, so the reviewers don’t get fatigued.?

Live, two-way interviews (recorded)?

The two-way live interview, of course, is where you’ve got a candidate and an interviewer each on camera. They see each other and can interact with each other and then record the interaction.?

There are two benefits to doing this kind of?video?interview:?

Interviewers (and those watching the recorded video later) get to see the candidate and how they respond, but they also get a chance to see the interviewer.?

This helps them to:?

• see what kinds of questions the interviewer asks?
• be able to think about whether or not the questions lined up with the needs for the position(s) being discussed?
• see if there are “nice to haves” being added to the discussion that are unnecessarily ruling out candidates?

Reviewing the recording gives the reviewer more context to?what's?happening. Another benefit?of?recorded two-way interviews is that the recording can be used for interviewer training in the future.?

Live, two-way interview (not recorded)?

And then you've got a live, unrecorded interview that's just a live interaction as if you were on the phone, only you've got a richer experience because you're using video so you can speak face to face.?

Live panel interview (recorded or not recorded)?

And then?there’s?a live panel interview that you could do. This could be either recorded or not, but this is a?one-to-many?engagement.?

You’ve got a candidate and then you've got a panel of interviewers who are interacting with that candidate.?

The process?

Once you decide on the type of?interview?you’re?going to do,?you want to be able to make sure you adapt it to your process.?

To do this, I always suggest starting with the end in mind. Define the goals that you're trying to accomplish. For example, are you looking to make a hiring decision based on this interview or are you just trying to narrow down the pool of on-site candidates??

The length of time you?have to?wait before you can get people face-to-face may drive and may?inform?what your goals are.?

Show your brand?

The other thing is, you want to find a way to build into this process a way to?showcase?your brand and to make sure?you're?highlighting what makes you unique and why?a candidate?would?want to work for you.?

You also want to be able to show employees in your workplace doing real work.??

Use video?

You can do this with video.?

You can either share that video during the interview or ahead of time. I would recommend ahead of time so that the candidate can get a better feel for what your company is about and to create that richer interaction and experience with your organization.?

Know what you’re looking for - look for “teachable” candidates, not ones that “check all the boxes”?

Technology-driven change and a digital business environment in general require employees to have a high level of digital literacy. However, digital literacy takes time to learn - very few candidates come to you with expertise in every software platform that your company uses.?

Unless you offer a top-tier training solution, no candidate can become?a master of?your digital tools. Instead, look for people who are comfortable using technology and who?show?an ability to learn digital platforms.?

Look past the CV - Soft skills matter - look for intelligence, aptitude and attitude?

Aside from technical skills, HR leaders are increasingly focusing on finding candidates with soft skills such as aptitude, intelligence and attitude.?

They look for candidates who are creative, adaptable, self-driven, and good at problem-solving.??

In addition, employees who have a spirit of experimentation and failure, and who always put innovation ahead of complacency are key to business success in a rapidly changing world.??

The most important thing is to hire people who are "doers," motivated and willing to take on challenges, even in the face of uncertainty.?

This type of employee has what it takes to learn the specific requirements of the role and are the people who will take your business to the next level.?

Reconsider the advanced degree requirements?

At your company, every job requires a Bachelor's degree. If you want to hire qualified candidates, it only makes sense to narrow down your pool. This is one of those recruiting strategies you might not even think about. It's just something you do. Having said that, here's a question you should ask yourself: Is a degree necessary??

Education requirements are a barrier to employment for hard workers who might not have been able to attend college. Due to other factors in their lives, they may not have been able to afford higher education. However, this doesn’t mean that a candidate without an advanced degree wouldn’t be an outstanding asset for your business.??

Consider which jobs really require a degree. If they don't, then replace that line in your job description with the experience you need candidates to bring to the table.?

Let go of your outdated recruiting methods?

So how do you find candidates with the soft skills your business?needs??

Here's a hint: You won't likely find them just by looking at a CV.?

By speaking with references and asking unconventional interview questions, you can identify these "soft skills" in your candidates.?

The traditional, narrow-minded approach to?finding?and hiring talent must be abandoned?to?succeed in today’s fast-paced digital world.?

A valuable pool of high-potential candidates will be lost if you judge candidates based on their experience, where they went to school or whether or not they will “fit” your “company culture”.?

I do not mean to suggest that experience is no longer relevant. Instead, I suggest that it shouldn't be the first factor to be used to filter out candidates.?

Change up your diversity hiring efforts?

There are many things you can do to ensure a diverse workforce at your company, but at the very least:??

• Communicate your commitment to diversity in all your communications.?
• Make sure language is not used in a way that would lead qualified candidates to self-select out of a position for which they are well qualified.??
• Find diverse candidates where they can be found. (e.g.?traditionally black colleges and/or organizations devoted to serving veterans.??

More specifically, you can:?

• Add to your existing sources to find qualified candidates?
• Reach out to organizations, media outlets, networking events, etc. that attract and/or target diverse candidates by design.??

Tips?

• Ask current diverse employees for referrals??
• Keep an open line of communication between employees and managers to ensure everyone feels welcomed and accepted - and let the world know that on your website and social media channels.??

Get back with the candidates you DIDN’T hire?

Don’t drag your feet...and don’t let your hiring managers drag theirs. Reduce the time it takes to get from the application stage to the hire by tightening your recruitment process.?

For example,?request?that your hiring managers?open up?their schedules for interviews and make hiring decisions as soon as possible.?

With so much at stake, the last thing you want to happen is to have dozens of candidates wait a long time?for?a decision from you that will?affect?their ability to?support?their families.?

Send confirmation emails so that candidates know you got their resume?

This should be an obvious way to increase candidate engagement.?

Only 8 percent of job applicants?report?that they receive confirmation their application was received, while nearly 100 percent of them (96%) want some proof a business received their communication.?

With today’s technology there’s really no excuse for not setting up an automated message letting candidates know that you got their resume.?

Let candidates know, up front, your hiring process?

When you are hiring?at a high?volume, use candidate assessment technology to help you?whittle?down the applications. Keep candidates engaged by letting the successful ones know that their application has moved on to the next stage.?

Tell candidates about the steps in your recruitment process so they know what to expect, because not all companies recruit the same way, and you don't want to put them off working for you with unexpected surprises.?

Give a range, a timeframe, a week, two weeks, or longer, rather than exact dates at this stage. Additionally, keep candidates in the loop if unexpected delays arise; if you leave them in the dark for a long time, they might get nervous that they are being rejected, and you may lose their interest in your company.?

Stay in touch with candidates who were rejected for roles so that you can “shop your list” first when a position opens up?

?Finally, add candidates into your hiring pipeline, or?they?can?add themselves to the pipeline, depending on your recruitment software.?

It is ideal to have candidates spread across various areas of the pipeline, and to know the exact number of candidates at each stage and how long they have been there.?

For each open position, you should have a different candidate pipeline. You can even create a list of candidates that would be a good match for the company, but there is not necessarily an open position for them at the moment.?

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