Hiring and maintaining top talent starts with smart recruiting, this includes the all too well-known, and often over-complicated, interview. Though it may seem that your interview processes should be extensive and ultra-thorough, what make a difference is the quality of a perspective’s answers rather than the lengthiness of the discussion itself. When it comes to interviewing and recruiting qualified candidates, take our advice and do the following:
Do your research. Just as the candidate will research your business, research the prospective by reviewing their resume to develop a good sense of what type of employee they will be. This will also make it easier for small talk during the interview, as you will have already known their past work history, skills, etc.
Make it conversational. It’s important to give the impression that you’re an actual person and in an interview, not an interrogation. Creating this kind of a dynamic will give the candidate a good idea of what the culture is like and will comfort them, as they know you’re genuinely taking interest in what they have to say. Additionally, you should transition into every question with casual conversation or elaborate on past experiences. Remember: conversation should be exchanged, but be sure to let the applicant do majority of the talking.
Ask situational questions. Include situational questions relating to the position by asking how the candidate would handle a particular situation that the position, or your business, has experienced in real life. This will allow you to gain further insight on the individual’s problem-solving or prevention abilities. This also gives the candidate a good understanding of what he or she might expect in the position.
Leave no stone unturned. This means including what the employee should be equipped with on his or her first day, what the position entails exactly and the dress code. This will put the candidate’s mind at-ease and will most likely answer a lot of their initial questions.
Make a great first impression. Starting from the earliest interaction, the recruiting process, your business is making an impression. Ensure that your company’s first impression is a great one by taking advantage of a mobile-friendly and easy-to-use Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Creating an easy, user-friendly application process makes all the difference between whether or not the applicant takes an interest and becomes engaged during their initial interview.
BirdDogHR has a lot of experience with helping businesses recruit, hire and retain top talent, using straightforward and user-friendly software, to give a great first impression and speed up the interview process. To see our ATS and Onboarding software in action, schedule a demo, or read more about BirdDogHR’s talent management solutions.
