How much is too much to ask of an interviewee?

Despite initial fears caused by the Brexit shock, and I say shock as like myself most people in Scotland completely forgot about the other countries that make up the U.K when predicting the outcome of that one!, the Scottish jobs market is still buoyant, as such there is still fierce competition over quality candidates most of whom will only be passive in the market; by which I mean in a job and open to looking at another one rather than actively seeking employment. This creates a conundrum for companies looking to recruit professionals as there is likely to be an very fine balance between making sure the person you are interviewing is capable of the position, committed and a good personality fit without dragging out an onerous candidate experience in the process.

Often businesses can fail to secure candidates as a result of the length of the recruitment process, it is not unusual for candidate to be approached for similar roles after the fact thereby creating competition for then or in some circumstances candidates can simply get tired of the process and the investment they are being asked for when they are not in a position where they need or are even particularly sure they wish to move.

So how long should the process be?.... well to be honest there is no set answer, my opinion? (as I know it is coveted) and you can quote me on this ' As quick and slick as possible' - so basically a vague cop out of an answer but let me qualify further;

If a role is of a level of seniority and importance that hiring the wrong person could cause detriment to the business then there will need to be a suite of interviews and test carried out (personality tests, technical questioning, skills testing, panel interviews - in any combination) I am not saying that any of these should be skipped or abridged, I would suggest that they should all be carried out but on a reasonable timescale in order to keep the candidate invested and involved in the process - that could be a 3 days or 3 weeks but the important aspect is constant timely progression through the process. Look at it this way:

If a candidate is invited to attend a meeting with 2 Directors 2 weeks in advance, waits 2 weeks for feedback then undergoes a skills and personality test, waits another 2 weeks for feedback then is invited to a final panel interview with another 3 directors in 2 weeks time with the likely decision being another 1 week (and this is not uncommon) then the process has taken 2 months before you even get to official offer stage, bearing in mind there is then a process of official acceptance/ resignation / notice period anywhere from 1 - 6 months depending on seniority and contract then the actual timescales can be surprising - for example for a 1 month notice period candidate the entire process will have taken circa 10 weeks and for someone with a 12 week notice (something that is much more common in the current market even at mid level) you are looking at 5 months!,   you can see how the possibility of another interesting position arising increases, you can also understand for a passive candidate why they might just become fatigued by the whole process and length of time involved and decide to stay where they are.

It must be said however that professionals at a very senior level in most markets are much more likely to understand and be prepared to invest in a much a longer and more thorough interview process. An area of real challenge comes at the lower and mid range of seniority where too often companies inflict the same long, drawn out process to individuals who are expecting and possibly hoping for a quick resolution when entering into the recruitment market. I have recently seen situations for mid level roles where companies are insisting on candidates being signed off by multiple business directors - something that seems slightly excessive if the position being interviewed for reports to a senior manager or 1 specific director.... I believe the old saying goes something like ' a camel is just a horse designed by a committee'  that is to say the more people you involve in anything including recruitment the more difficult it is to get a consensus and in this specific context the more likely it will be that superfluous flourishes are applied to job and personality specs as a way of everyone feeling that they have had an input.

I myself have an ongoing conundrum when recruiting personally, given the nature of the 360 recruitment role it is very important, especially so at the more junior entry level, to ensure that I give an accurate outline of what the role actually entails, furthermore it is important that I can assess whether any individual I am speaking with is willing to be put into some of the situations that come in a sales driven, business development environment - with this being the case often I will ask candidates to prepare presentations based on a brief or undertake a role play or even both, whilst this is perhaps more than is asked by competitors it is I feel important and it tends to work well in ensuring that anyone hired is aware of both the investment and rewards involved in the role and also capable of undertaking the key activities. I myself make dynamic judgements as to what to ask of candidates dependant on all of the relevant factors - one constant however is to make timely decisions and stick to compact timescales either way.

So, in summary there are only a few simple suggestions I can make to anyone who is looking to find the balance within their recruitment process:

• Set out and explain the process from the start.

• Make the process fit for and reasonable to the role for which you are recruiting, there is no point having the same process for vastly different roles.

• Keep momentum during the process, do not let there be long periods of silence.

• Be mindful of what you are asking and be flexible to accommodate those you are inviting into the process, as they likely have a job and hopefully a life (Skype, evening or weekend interviews etc can be useful)

• Ensure everyone who needs to sign off is available within reasonable timescales to be involved.

It might be worth mentioning that having an advocate for not only your business but your recruitment processes in the form of an experienced recruitment professional never hurts  ;)