Your Interview Process Needs a Makeover

If you think about it, the entire idea of evaluating the quality of a candidate based on one (or three) formally-conducted interviews (which last no longer than an hour or so each on most occasions) is like choosing a long-term partner by meeting them over tea in the age-old Indian ‘arranged marriage’ style. References, past record, awards and certificates can only reveal so much about a candidate. The advent of social media, however, has brought a new angle to the game, since companies now conduct a thorough background check to better assess the kind of person the prospect is (and what his credentials are).

And that is just one aspect of the traditional hiring process we’re talking about. There’s more to it.

Job interviews, as this LinkedIn article suggests, have become extremely predictable and ineffective. In most cases, either the interviewer or the interviewee (or in some cases, both parties) feel discontented at the end of it.

Here’s looking at some things you can do as a recruiter to transform the process and make it more effective for your organization as well as the candidates.

Clearly define success parameters

Accuracy in terms of gauging the quality of hires can only be achieved if you have unambiguous parameters. It is important to set well-defined guidelines or slightly flexible outlines for assessing this aspect since it is the first step towards reexamining the possible shortcomings in your interview process.

Use data to make informed decisions

With truckloads of data at your disposal, you should be looking to make sense out of it so you can make crucial adjustments and adapt to the challenges your HR team might be facing. The decision-making process can get a lot easier when supported by data, and the influx of analytics and new technology has given modern organizations and their recruitment processes a much-needed makeover.

Customize your interview process

You might think your strategies are all-encompassing (or even worse, ‘standard’), but that’s never the case. Each company possesses its unique hiring environment, workplace requirements, job roles and talent acquisition needs, so it becomes imperative to find out what works for you and what doesn’t. The one-size-fits-all approach is a strict no-no here. Make certain that your processes are custom-made to suit your needs.

Give the interviewee a real question

How would you measure the quality of a chef? By asking them to cook you a meal, of course!

Instead of asking the candidates to list some of their strengths/weaknesses, you might as well just tell them to lie. Getting objective and creative with your interview questions is priority #1 in the modern times. If you wish to assess the problem-solving skills of an interviewee, give them a real-world scenario (it could even be a problem that your team is currently facing) and ask them to come up with a solution (or identify inadequacies. If you are looking to gauge skills like teamwork and flexibility, ask them sports-related questions. You know where this is going, right? You might be missing the mark by asking convoluted questions; the answers to which don’t give you anything to work with.

Keep the process dynamic and flexible

While having a fixed strategy in place is definitely recommended, we believe flexibility and adaptability is the key to a good interview process. Candidates are different, the way they communicate is different, each interviewee’s needs are different; so if you feel the need to make minor changes on the go, so be it. They idea is to ensure that the interview process isn’t too rigid – you might risk losing top talent in case it turns them off.

AI assessments are for real

Companies like IBM and Facebook have conjured up a storm that’s about to hit the recruitment market in an unprecedented way. At Hexagon Search, too, we are huge proponents of using new technology to accelerate and enhance the overall process. Beyond the questions and answers during the interview, there are several other things that can give you a cue about the interviewee. The aforementioned organizations have started offering a combination of AI (Artificial Intelligence), facial recognition software and deep machine learning to analyze videotaped interviews for high-quality insights. Food for thought, eh?

Ah, candidate experience!

Negative candidate experience can hurt your company in multiple ways and at various levels. We’ve said this before and we’re saying it again because it is important to understand the magnitude of candidate experience and its impact. Several firms have started taking proactive steps to match the level achieved by biggies like Google, Blackberry, H&R Block, Grant Thornton, BNY Mellon and Caterpillar to redraft their processes so they can deliver remarkable candidate experiences. It’s about time you did, too.

What does your interview process look like and what have you done to keep up with changing times and expectations? Let me know in the comments section below!

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==============================================================Prashant is passionate about people building great businesses. As a Founder & CEO of Hexagon Search and RocketHire, he is focused on building India’s most data-driven recruitment solutions firm. Passionate about customer experience, transparency & company culture, his firm works with some of the world's leading and admired companies for their talent acquisition needs.