Interviewing candidates can be just as painful for the interviewer as it is for the candidate. If you are consistently having candidates turn down job offers, it might be time to look at your process.
Interviewing doesn’t always come naturally to people and can be a challenge. While most HR professionals are trained on how to properly interview, many hiring managers are not. HR should educate these hiring managers on proper interviewing techniques. Below are several ways, unseasoned interviewers often hurt the process:
1. Distracted by appearance - Studies have shown that physical appearance plays a significant role in which candidate is chosen for a job. According to a new study by researchers at Rice University and the University of Houston, people with birthmarks, scars and other facial disfigurements are more likely to receive poor ratings in job interviews. This could cause an excellent candidate to be overlooked.
2. Misreading body language - Body language is widely known as a method of communication, but it takes place mostly on a subconscious level. Studies claim that 93% of communications about our feeling and attitudes are conveyed through our bodies and voice tones. According to Patti Wood, internationally renowned body language expert, author and professional speaker, “We have a tendency to pick job candidates who match our own body language because we are attracted to people like ourselves. But that person is not necessarily the best candidate for that position.”
3. Dragging Their Feet - Although finding skilled professionals can take time, it’s also important to realize that if delayed too long, you may lose the best candidate to a competitor. Candidates want immediate feedback after an interview.
4. Conducting Unstructured Interviews - Studies dating back to the 1980s have shown that unstructured interviews are one of the worst choices for accurately judging how well a particular person will do at a particular job. Researchers have found that adding more structure to an interview, by asking all candidates a set list of questions or coming up with a specific rubric on which to assess them, dramatically increases the validity of the information gathered.
5. Not Asking for Work Samples - In 1998, Frank Schmidt and John Hunter published a meta-analysis of 85 years of research on how well assessments predict performance. They found that the best predictor of how someone will perform in a job is a work sample test.
6. Misusing Social Media – 92% of businesses now use social media as a recruitment tool, but many of them are posting in the wrong places. A recent study by iCIMS, a Web-based employment software company, found that 51% of all jobs posted on social media are posted to Twitter, but only 1% of candidates utilize Twitter for job hunting. The top social site job seekers expected to find job postings on was LinkedIn, but the site accounts for only 23% of all jobs posted on social media.
7. Misrepresenting Company Culture - According to a study from Radford University, “Employees that fit in well with their organizations reported higher job satisfaction, identified more with their company, were likely to remain in the organization, were more committed, and demonstrated better job performance.” If you aren’t representing that culture during the interview, you may lose candidates who would potentially be a perfect fit. For example, if your organization is more casual and laid back, yet you show up wearing a suit, the candidate may assume you have a strict dress code. Your organization’s culture should be conveyed in your body language and interview style.
Interviewing skills are extremely important to ensure that you are hiring candidates that are best suited for the job and that are a proper fit for your organization. ASE is hosting a webinar entitled Interviewing for Excellence, August 30th at 1pm. For more information, click here.
Source: Entrepreneur.com