Curating an unbiased, effective interview is one of the most critical aspects of hiring candidates, however many hiring managers fall into common pitfalls and traps that undermine their efforts to find the best fit for the role. It is important to be aware of the frequent errors that hiring managers make, to be able to refine your interview process and build a stronger team in future.
The evaluation process can easily be skewed by questions designed to lead to a specific output. Equally, bias and common interest between interviewer and candidate can also cause irrelevant questions and responses.
To avoid this, try categorising interview questions into two categories
– job-related (designed to test their skillset), and
– behavioural (to analyse their past experiences and capability to perform in future).
Keeping the behavioural questions open-ended could lead to a more successful interview, and asking more focused job-related questions could help to avoid irrelevant questions.
Whilst interviewing, it is important to be able to assess the candidate’s compatibility with the company’s work style, values and team dynamics. To aid this, you could involve other members of your team during the interview process to gain a second opinion of their overall fit within the company.
Interviewers are sometimes guilty of dominating the conversation; however it is crucial to their assessment that enough time is allocated for the candidate to showcase all of their qualifications and assets. Try active listening, asking follow-up questions that encourage candidates to take the lead and give you the answers that you are seeking.
It is easy for interviewers to miss crucial qualities in a candidate such as adaptability, eagerness to learn, and problem-solving skills if the sole focus of the interview is tailored to past success in roles. Creating loyal and successful employees is reliant on identifying their potential for the future, not their success in the past.
From clear job descriptions, to a simplistic application process, to transparency in interviews, it is crucial to create a positive experience for candidates that ultimately attracts top talent and contributes to your company’s reputation.
