Is your interview process the hole in your talent net?
Even though clients may get in front of the right people for their business, the interview process itself can be key to a successful ability to bring them on board.
Adaptive Digital’s team of consultants have come up with their top tips to get the right offer out as efficiently as possible by optimizing the interview process to keep it consistent, efficient and effective.
Interviews are a two-way street: it’s equally as important for prospective candidates and companies to leave a positive impression on one another. It’s a balancing act. On one hand you need to make sure the candidate is the right fit for your company and that everything (skills, suitability, timeframes, salary expectations, etc.) matches up – but it’s also key to make sure they learn enough about your role, culture and teams and are excited to join.
Fitting interviewing around ‘regular business’ can distract and delay the hiring process - everybody’s human and things pop up which can push you back a stage or two.
We see both sides of the coin - sometimes the process runs without an issue; yet, there are times that we see it dragged out – and with the digital marketing hiring pool being as busy as ever, here are some of our top tips to avoid dragging the process out!
Why not try panel interviews? If you know it’s possible that the hiring process could run long as team members struggle for availability, try to get key decision makers in the same room for the interviews. This can give the prospective candidate exposure to a number of key people at once, so if they are successful at a further stage the process isn’t blocked by a wait for a specific person being available and in the office. After all, top candidates are highly sought after and you won’t be the only ones searching.
Feedback sessions at the end of an introductory interview can also be a helpful way to get the wheels turning faster – impressions are often made within the first meeting. Both parties will usually have a strong ideas as to whether the role is fit, and closing meetings with a feedback session can help both transparency and efficiency. Clients can learn whether promising candidates are feeling equally positive, and hiring managers are provided with a platform to tactfully break news to unsuccessful candidates on the day without adding an extra phase to the process.
Something else that can make a big difference to ensuring hiring processes maintain momentum is flexibility. Everyone is juggling multiplecommitments and it’s sometimes not always feasible for candidates to commit to a date for an in-person meeting that fits the client’s availability window. If this happens it’s maybe an idea to arrange for an alternative way to interview for the next phase of discussion (Skype, FaceTime, etc.) rather than allow a big slow-down in the process.
Finally, it’s paramount to manage expectations. If both parties make clear what they are after from the offset, the resulting process can flow more smoothly with fewer guessing games. Whether it’s salary, perks, title, responsibility or scope of role - each party should invest time in the process which is based on the correct information and expectation.
Adaptive Digital’s team of consultants provide specialized recruitment for digital agencies and corporate digital teams across search, social, programmatic, e-commerce, analytics and more.
