Interviewing someone for the job you’ve just listed may feel like a burden, mainly if the applicant doesn’t give you a grasp of their real qualifications and talents. At some point, you’ll lose your temper and fail to assess all the interviewees you have on your list for that day. There’s certainly a need for a change, but what can you do?
Since the world of work has changed dramatically in the last couple of years, especially because of the Covid-19 pandemic, you have to reconsider your questions and maybe your expectations. It’s hard to predict if someone is suitable for your company or if they can help your business grow, and those all-time questions like “Where do you see yourself in five years?”, “What are your greatest weaknesses?” or “Why do you want to work here?” are just annoying, not to mention useless.
Indeed, it’s your responsibility as an employer to find the best candidate who makes it into your company, but what if things aren’t that simple? What if these job examinations are just disconnected from the reality of individuals’ everyday jobs?
Here’s what you can do to ensure you hire top talent, not just the best candidate at interviewing.
Look for a career-oriented candidate
One of the most important aspects to consider when interviewing someone is their commitment towards growing both as an individual and professional. Ensure you take time to understand their needs regarding their career, expectations, and plans for the future. You don’t want to ask them that boring question, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” so be rather subtle.
Focus on asking them what other professions they’ve performed, whether they’ve worked for other companies, or what’s their intent regarding this job. Once their job history is checked, you have a clearer idea of them and their devotion.
You plan to hire someone loyal to your company, but if this applicant has juggled several jobs and doesn’t have a clear purpose regarding their future, you should move on – they aren’t the someone you’re looking for.
Take them out of the “interview zone”
The interview setup can sometimes be intimidating, especially for someone unfamiliar with this type of examination. So, consider making this process more relaxing and take your applicant out of the interview zone.
You can take them out for breakfast or lunch and invite other team members to participate, too. Seeing employees other than managers or seniors can help them open themselves and display their real behavior and attitude. The truth is that it’s hard to be on the best behaviour in the circumstances of an interview, given the formal environment. This approach can help them relax and be the best version of themselves.
Observe how they interact with the team – this will say much about them. Adopting this kind of approach is, indeed, less common among interviewers, but this doesn’t mean it’s not successful.
Consider culture fit
Another crucial thing to have in mind when hiring an applicant is their capacity to adapt to and fit in your organisation’s culture. Like any other respectable company, you probably have core values that shape your culture, including integrity, trust, humility, leadership, diversity, innovation, and accountability.
So, obviously, you don’t want to hire someone whose social skills would disrupt these values and interfere with your team’s positive attitude. This aspect may sometimes be neglected in favour of other skills, but it’s just as important as one’s expertise in the domain.
It’s imperative to ensure the candidate you’re going to employ has developed strong social skills like communication, empathy, active listening, and relationship management and that they’re not prone to conflicts. If there’s harmony in the workplace, there can also be prosperity, but your team’s productivity may be affected if someone continually disturbs the work atmosphere.
We know there’s a lot on your plate, but you don’t have to do all this alone. There’re specialists that can ease the recruitment process and help you find ideal candidates for your company.
Hiring top talent is becoming increasingly challenging these days. Some might ignore true values and qualifications and jump to employ out of an avid need for someone in a particular position. Legal recruiters in the UK can help you find that special someone to push your business forward, handling everything from examining candidates’ CVs and resumes to giving pertinent and expert advice regarding your best options.
Give them a relevant task
Hiring an experienced individual with expertise in the domain is ideal, but this is often merely a dream for most employers. Finding a social and knowledgeable candidate is not the easiest task, but it’s not impossible. Even if the interviewee has never interacted with your line of work, it’s still possible to assess their experience. Consider giving them a problem to solve, typically one they would likely face in their role. It’s the perfect opportunity to observe their problem-solving skills and determine their suitability for your company. Ensure also you give them a deadline and a limited number of words to respond to the problem. It’s unlikely for them to know all the nuances of the job, but it’s not even necessary. You shouldn’t expect that from someone who has just entered your office.
If the position you’ve listed is quite complex and theoretical and practical skills have to be assessed, consider a second interview where you can give the candidate a relevant task for the job they’re going to perform.
Let’s say you’re looking for a copywriter. In this case, assess their knowledge in the first part of the interview, discuss the job requirements, and proceed with the practical test in the second part. Ideally, you’ll give them an article to write on a specific topic within a certain timeframe.
What are the main signs you’ve found exactly what you’ve been looking for?
- You can sense the interviewee’s enthusiasm
- Your candidate communicates clearly and quickly
- They bring ideas to the table
- They open up about their weaknesses without even being asked to
- They’ve taken the time to delve into your company
