Track #1
Module #4
Improve the Interview Process
According to a 2018 study on the global tech-talent trends,
it is projected that by 2030, the skills shortage in the tech
sector could reach as high as 4.3 million workers.
The above statistic highlights the fact that you would be
competing with many others to hire the same candidate.
It further highlights the fact that the candidate in front of
you during the interview: many not always be the best and
right fit.
Interviews are thus crucial to identify the right fit and to
also make the right candidate want to work with your
organisation.
The purpose of this module is to
empower recruiters with the right set of
tools and techniques to conquer the
interview process in a steadfast way. It
will help them streamline the whole
process in a manner that is a win-win
for both candidates and the recruiters.
Basic reasons why interviews are
important…
Quick Fact-Check!
Helps cross-check and question the candidates wrt. the tech-expertise mentioned in their resume. For instance they may write programming
languages known Java, Python, etc. but have they actually worked on these projects professionally?
Personality & Culture Fit Assessment
One-on-one interaction during the interviews, gives a deeper insight into the candidate’s personality, otherwise impossible to gauge from the
traditional paper resumes. This also helps assess the ‘culture-fit’ with your organisation.
Peek Into Your Company...
Interviews are also the ideal platform for you to answer the candidates’ questions and give them a glance into their potential future workplace
and company culture.
But interviews go beyond these...
Interviews also help
‘you’ impress ‘them’...
During the interview, you as a recruiter, aren’t the only one evaluating
someone. The candidate too is constantly evaluating the organisation
and the culture.
● How is the company culture?
● Are they open-minded and transparent?
● Will I enjoy working here?
● What kind of questions are being asked during the interview process?
What is Wrong with the Current Interview Processes?
Unstructured or Monotonous Inconsistent
interview process questions
Not all interviewers Biases generally
are trained creep in
In order to refine your interviews, think from
the perspective of the candidates, starting
with the common issues they might have,
and then go ahead to include the necessary
improvements.
Doing this will let you adopt a candidate-first
approach, and make your interviews better
while at it.
Common ‘Candidate Woes’
Lack of clarity
● No clear guidelines regarding the interview details, job profile, various rounds, etc.
Delay in responses
● Very distant replies with respect to interview results from the recruiter’s side.
No response at all
● No response on whether they have been selected, rejected, or a reason for rejection or being completely
avoided by the recruiters.
Too many interviews
● Appearing for a dozen interview rounds with the same company, not seeing any clarity.
Enhancing candidate experience with
interview process best practices
Dates Details & Timelines
Be sure to communicate the dates for the first round of Details such as the number of rounds, the kind of interviews -
interview with the candidates upfront. personal, HR, telephonic, etc. should be shared upfront. Also
the schedules for each of the rounds should be made clear.
What is Expected of Them? Contact Person
Be upfront about any specific requirements you might Share details about Who will they be in touch with?
have from the candidates.
Getting the Art of Interviews Right...
Keep Interview Schedules Flexible Offer Remote Interviews
Communicate With the Candidates Be Nice to the Candidates
Encourage Referrals Maintain Candidate Database
Flexible Interview Schedules
Simply put, not scheduling interviews ‘right’ can
cost you your next hire.
The ambiguity that comes along with scheduling
interviews, with figuring out candidate’s availability
and your hiring calendar... the whole task can seem
tiresome.
Instead, it is better to adopt flexible scheduling for all
your interviews, which may as well be the next HR
trend in the recruitment sector.
Benefits of Flexible Scheduling
Better Candidate Experience Avoid Missing Out on Good Candidates Owing
to Scheduling Mismatch
Save Time on Rescheduling the Process Boosts Your Employer Brand
Offer Remote Interviews
Offering remote interviews is a way forward, especially
when it comes to tech-roles where you may have certain
candidates applying from different cities or country. It
also makes perfect sense for a role which will have a
remote workforce.
It could prove to be a boon to the tech-recruiters by
helping them set up a strong interview pipeline.
Remote interviews help because...
Helps you tap into a wide range of candidates, across geographies.
Saves time and incidental costs involved in interview scheduling for you as
well as the candidate, especially when experienced candidates are looking to
apply for a role from a different city, state or a country.
Communicating with the Candidates
Every candidate in the pipeline deserves to be replied
to, so that he or she is informed about the current
status of their job application.
But reverting to a handful of candidates is very
different from replying to maybe three hundred
applications that you may have received for an open
position.
But that is a HUGE number! What should you do?
Automate Common Responses By Creating Templates
Acknowledgement for Application Received Assignment Email
Interview Scheduling Email Rejection Email (Most Important)
Once you have the templates in place, setup automation to send them by setting up email triggers.
There are various tools which help you do that and your tech team can be of great help here.
Be Nice to the Candidates
Candidate experience matters just as much as providing
good customer service.
With various rating websites and review forums online,
candidates now have the voice and the right mediums to
share their experiences about different brands during the
hiring process.
Negative reviews affect your brand reputation, thus
resulting in poor quality candidate applications, making
poor employees!
Ultimately, candidate experience spills over to customer
experience.
Simple ways to being nice to the candidates...
Respond to candidate queries, Keep them updated about their
through calls or emails. application status at different stages.
Be flexible and empathetic while Keep the interactions professional and
scheduling interviews. polite.
Maintain Candidate Database
With the help of an Applicant Tracking System, it is
possible to store your entire candidate database at one
place and go back to it, in the short-term at least,
whenever the need arises.
However, the key thing to note here is that this data is
not evergreen. Candidates move on, their roles and
priorities change. Hence you cannot rely on this
database forever.
How to maintain a candidate database...
Train the recruiting team to screen all the Integrate your ATS with the job boards
resumes received and bucket them into the that you frequently use, to automatically
ATS. get the data and reduce manual work.
Instead of just keywords, try and include Tag them with relevant technologies like
skills onto candidate records. This will help Python, Java, PHP, etc. and leave notes on
improve the candidate search process your past interactions to start the
down the road. conversation with them in the future.
Reach out to them via regular emails and keeping them posted about various company milestones, new
open jobs etc. This keeps them engaged for future hiring.
No recruiter can afford to go wrong with the
interview process as it sets the tone for future
employee experience.
What is important is to meet the needs of the
candidates, in order to have an interview process
that is a win-win for everyone - the candidate,
the recruiter and most importantly… the
organisation!
That’s it! You have completed Module #4 and with it
Tech-Recruitment 101.
We hope it helps you with...
1. Developing a SOLID tech-recruitment process.
2. Identifying the needs of the candidates.
3. Creating job listings that stand out.
4. Improving the interview process when hiring for tech-roles.
Do ensure you complete the evaluation tests for each of the 4
modules to successfully complete your [Link] Tech
Recruitment Certification course.
End of Recruitment 101