Reverse Interviews - Why they may be able to solve your staff turnover issue.

There is a relatively small but growing interest in a new hiring tactic called Reverse Interviewing. Old-school interviews are showing their age, as businesses continue to struggle to identify top talent that will make a positive and lasting impact on their organizations. This new approach of reverse interviewing puts the job candidate in the driver’s seat and just might have a positive impact on employee turnover.

According to a recent Forbes article titled “What Leaders Get Wrong About Hiring (and Why It Matters)” bad hiring is shockingly costly:

·????? 80% of employee turnover?is due to bad hiring decisions. (Harvard Business Review)

·????? 45% of bad hires are attributed to a lack of process. (Harvard Business Review)

·????? Poor hiring decisions are estimated to cost between $18,700 to hundreds of thousands of dollars for executive-level positions. (CareerBuilder)

It is time to turn the interview process on its ear and shake up the standard hiring dynamic, using reverse interviews to better vet job candidates.

How Do Reverse Interviews Work?

As the name implies, in a reverse interview the job candidate asks questions to the employer, rather than the other way around. This type of interview generally occurs further down the hiring process when the job candidate is already a strong contender for the position, and the business owner or HR person already has a strong understanding of their qualifications.

The reverse interview lets candidates ask questions that will help them better understand the dynamics of the job, company culture, values, leadership style, and various work expectations. Reverse interviews empower the candidate, build trust, and ultimately provide the opportunity for greater connection and understanding.

While still not the standard, reverse interviews are gaining traction and providing business owners and HR departments a fresh way to assess their prospective talent.?

Setting the Rules for Reverse Interviewing

It is important to provide your job candidates with rules and guidance for successful reverse interviewing before the meeting.

1. Explain the Purpose of the Reverse Interview

Inform the candidate that they will have the opportunity to interview you on any aspect of the business and role that they are interested in learning more about. These might include but are not limited to culture, values, work expectations, and career growth opportunities. Urge job candidates to prepare their questions in advance.

2. Set the Right Tone

Reverse interviews are really about a job candidate’s ability to assess the business and fit. Make them feel comfortable and free to ask anything that concerns or interests them about the organization. Don’t be terse. Instead respond with thoughtful, non-judgmental answers. Be as transparent and forthcoming as possible.

3. Provide Them Foundation and Transparency

Just as you may have never conducted a reverse interview with a candidate, chances are they haven’t experienced one either. So give them a primer ahead of time on subjects they might want to cover like company values, leadership styles, team culture, growth and development opportunities, and work-life balance. Perhaps create a standard email for this part of the hiring process that outlines some of the dynamics of the reverse interview so they can best prepare for it.

4. Clarify Your Role in the Process

It is important to explain that your traditional role as an interviewer is being set aside for the reverse interview. Explain to the job candidate that you will not be quantifying their abilities for the role, but rather simply engaging in a two-way conversation.

5. Allow Them to Reflect

After the reverse interview, ask the candidate how they feel about the conversation and encourage them to email follow-up questions or thoughts they might have post-interview. This approach allows the job candidate to think beyond the sometimes stressful hiring process and engage at a deeper level.

Reverse interviewing is a new approach to the hiring process and one you may want to consider as you continue to grow your team and build your business.

Hiring and HR practices are common topics in TAB Board meetings, where a group of experienced business owners work together to support and improve each other’s business acumen and organizational success. Feel free to reach out if you would like to learn more about how TAB Boards elevate business leaders, allow them to make smarter decisions, and enable them to navigate challenges with confidence.

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