The Need for Speed
This summer and fall have brought some interesting shifts in the employment market. While many positions/industries are still experiencing extreme shortages of candidates, other searches are seeing double or triple the response rates compared to a year ago. However, what has not changed is that the top candidates are snatched up quickly by employers willing to move quickly. If someone is an A player or even a B+, the window of time between sending out their resume to a handful of employers and getting a job offer is precariously small in many cases.
What does it look like to be both fast and thorough in your hiring process? Here are a few suggestions:
Consider the level of the position. Leadership roles and customer-facing roles should have a lengthier interview process. If things turn sour, a wrong hire's impact on the company is much more significant. Entry-level candidates, if they turn out to be a poor fit, will be easier to manage off the team and have less impact.
Construct the interview process in a way that is candidate-friendly. Think through how to make it easy for the candidate to get scheduled. For example, if you are doing two interviews, make one via Zoom. Offer an early morning or late afternoon interview time to minimize the time they have to take off work. Keep the interview team to a reasonable size, and make interviewing a scheduling priority.
Preplan your questions. Chances are you will have between 1-3 hours of interactions with this person before you decide whether to hire them. Make the most of your time by carefully crafting your interview questions. Build questions that assess the candidate's skills, aptitudes, and passions. Some questions should be devoted to evaluating the candidate's alignment with your values and company culture.
Come to the interview prepared. In some positions, like construction or manufacturing, candidates are experiencing on-the-spot offers. Have an offer letter ready, and if the interview goes well, go ahead and invite them to join the team. If you are blessed to be sitting across the table from a star candidate, you don't want to give your competition a chance to snag them first.
Use group interviews. Hiring should be a team sport. Allowing 2-4 people to be part of the interview process makes the most of your interactions with candidates. With multiple eyes on the candidate – from the receptionist who greets them when they arrive to the HR Rep who schedules the interview, from the manager who leads the interview to the team lead who gives a tour – get everyone's insights on how the candidate behaved and interacted with them. Multiple perspectives will allow you to be more thorough in your assessment while still being quick.
Don't let the slightly less-frantic labor market lull you into moving slowly through the hiring process. Quality candidates remain in high demand, and your ability to land them will be closely tied to your ability to move quickly and professionally through the interview process.