Top Mistakes Organizations Make in Their Interviews!

Welcome to the first edition of my Newsletter! In this Newsletter I'll be sharing my perspective on various topics related to Recruitment and Job Searching - so whether you're a Recruiter, Hiring Manager/Decision Maker, or a Job Seeker, make sure you hit Subscribe to get notified when I release a new Newsletter!

I wanted to kick things off by talking about some of the most common mistakes I've seen Hiring Teams make when it comes to Interviewing Top Talent - look, if you're making any of these mistakes, don't feel bad! These are very common, however I don't want your Team to lose out on talented people over a few things which can easily be fixed or eliminated.

Now, the following are top complaints I've heard from Candidates I've represented as a Recruiter, whereby their feedback to me after an Interview was either that they weren't interested in moving forward anymore, or that their interest-level was lower than when we spoke previously:

Unfamiliar with candidate’s profile.?Everyone complains about candidates not researching the company they’re interviewing at prior to the meeting. But are you doing the same at your end as an Interviewer? Are you at least reviewing their resume prior to the meeting? If nothing else, this allows you to zoom in on specific items on the resume you’d like to delve a litter deeper into. Needless to say, showing you’ve done some preparation at your end, and have specific questions about the candidate due to you reviewing their resume makes a great first impression on them as well. It'll also make for much more productive use of your time during the meeting.

Unclear about the role & responsibilities.?Its a competitive market out there and most organizations need to realize that most candidates are probably interviewing at other places as well. Your organization needs to put more effort into ensuring candidates have as much detail and information as possible regarding the role, the duties, the responsibilities, the team, the department, career growth, opportunities for advancements – i.e. EVERYTHING. Don’t make the mistake of thinking your organization doesn’t need to "sell" the candidate on the opportunity with your team. Both parties have some selling to do – your party, the organization, is no exception! If you're coming across as uncertain about what you're looking for in an ideal candidate or what the role entails - don't think candidates won't pick up on this! "Dean, they weren't clear on their expectations for the role" - which translates to a red flag for most Candidates!

Stone-faced #interviewer(s).?Maybe you had a rough day. Maybe you’ve been watching a lot of Clint Eastwood movies. Look – you need to make the interviewees feel comfortable and welcome in your environment. Aside from this helping to ease the anxiety of meeting for the first time, its just the professional thing to do. What do you have to lose by making the candidate feel relaxed and comfortable so they can focus on discussing their professional experience and business? I'm not saying be someone you're not - but hey, think of it like welcoming a guest into your home. Making people feel welcome is crucial, and for the Candidate, its their first real impression of what it might be like to work with/for you.

Lengthy interview processes/Taking too long to make a decision.?Seven interviews? Taking a few weeks to make a final decision? Really? Unless you’re a well-known brand people are just dying to get into such as Google, Amazon, and the likes (and even then I think its crazy) – you need to shorten your interview process, or you’re going to lose out to competitors who keep it much tighter and move faster than you. Get as many stakeholders/decision makers involved in each of the meetings so you don’t need to stretch it out to eternity. Get buy-in and commitment from everyone who needs to be involved to make themselves available for Interviews!

Testing/Evaluations before meeting.?This is a big one, so excuse the mini-rant. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen top talent drop out of an interview process because the organization wanted candidates to complete some type of test or mini-project BEFORE meeting, so they can evaluate who to bring in for an interview. This might make sense for you and your organization – but not for Top Talent who are constantly being courted by other organizations who want to MEET them first. Meet top talent first – learn about them, evaluate their needs/wants, make the connection between what they’re looking for and what your organization offers, sell them on the opportunity with your organization – and THEN introduce a test/evaluation if needed. You wanna do a "whiteboarding" session - do it at the Interview itself. Expecting a candidate to set aside a few hours of their time before even knowing whether the opportunity is the right fit for them is how you’ll lose a lot of great potential people for your organization. You'll also potentially be losing out on the passive candidate market which is a huge chunk of the available talent out there - i.e. people who are currently working, not actively looking, but open to hearing about new opportunities. When exactly are they going to have time to complete your 3 hour assessments while balancing a full-time job? Ain't nobody got time for your mini-projects and technical assessments! Assess people at the Interview! If you REALLY do need to introduce some sort of assessment, do it AFTER you've met them and they've fallen in love with what you have to offer their career. Never before that!

And there you have it – the top complaints I’ve heard from Job Seekers. Look, the lesson here is, as an organization you need to sell the opportunity at your end as well especially when meeting with Top Talent!

Make sure you hit Subscribe to get notified when the next edition comes out!

Dean Kulaweera

Director, Recruitment & Sales | IT Recruiter | Founder

Tech Recruiters 360