A job interview is often primarily regarded as an opportunity for an employer to assess a candidate’s suitability for a role. For job seekers, it's an opportunity to impress hiring managers. But at the same time, they will use it to assess the role and company concerned. It will strongly influence their opinion about your company. Put simply, a poor interview experience can lead to your ideal candidate turning down a job offer.
A perfect match isn't the only goal of an interview
We explored aspects of the hiring process and how they determine a candidate’s decision to accept a job offer. We highlighted common job seeker preferences and identified how employers are falling short by comparison.
Researches showed that 74% of professionals consider the job interview process essential in their assessment of the role and employer. Candidates stated that one of their biggest pain points was in the follow-up of final interviews. The next steps in the recruitment process weren't clearly communicated or explained. Candidates interpret this as the employer not valuing their time enough to ensure the hiring process runs smoothly. A key reason why some candidates would turn a job offer down.
From an employer’s perspective, finding a perfect match is not the only thing at stake in a recruitment process. Each candidate interview provides an opportunity to promote a positive representation of the company brand, irrespective of whether the candidate is successful in his or her application or not. Interviews should therefore be considered an essential element in the employer branding strategy.
Top tips on how employers can optimize the hiring process
Ensure the headcount is approved
Sometimes, in the middle of the hiring process, a hiring manager finds out that the approval for the added headcount can was not finalised yet. The result is that they can't immediately make an offer to the perfect candidate. This adds one or two weeks to the process, often comes by, with the candidate losing interest, and giving competitors the opportunity to make an offer to the candidate and get them signed before you're ready. Thus, it is crucial to ensure the decision to hire a new talent is approved from the earliest stage.
Communicate the salary range
Benchmark salaries in advance, and make decisions about the exact budget range. Communicating an indicative salary and knowing what leeway there is for a potential outstanding candidate will avoid delay and time wasting for all people involved in the process.
Create a transparent process
Ensuring effectiveness in interviews, with a structured approach, a clear timeline within a compact hiring process, as well as providing concrete feedback are all important. Ideally, a candidate has full transparency about when to expect feedback and when decisions or next moves will be made.
Implement in-person meetings
Finally, implementing face-to-face meetings is one of the most important factors of effective processes. Some companies even fly their candidate to their city for a final round. Even if it might take more time, a physical meeting is an excellent way of building a solid trustworthy relationship between the candidate and the company. Unfortunately, only a small portion of companies include it. Of course, it depends also on the type of role; some are more transactional and have a much simpler process however, when it comes to a strategic role, a face-to-face discussion is a key step.
Do you need further advice on conducting interviews?
If you are new to interviewing or if you want to ensure you are using the latest methods, contact us today to gain insights.
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