There's nothing more frustrating than having your favourite candidate drop out of the application because of a messy interview process. Yet over 50% of candidates reject job offers because they don't like how they're treated during the interview stage. How can you create an interview process that candidates love?
87% of talent say a positive interview experience can change their mind about a role or company they once doubted. In short, the interview is the face of your business. It's a prime opportunity for your candidates to connect with your brand and the position. This makes it all the more important for companies to take care of their candidates during the interview.
This guide, featuring insights from Alex Tidgard, Licensed Psychologist and Founder of interview platform Asker Technologies, outlines key steps hiring teams can take today to ensure they're running candidate-friendly interviews.
According to Alex, setting the agenda early is key to ensuring the candidate knows what to expect from the interview. That could look like putting together an interview guide and sending it over to the candidate beforehand, down to simply listing what you will discuss in an email.
Unsure how to set the agenda? Here are some tips you could include in your candidate's interview brief:
Tip: Some companies even offer sample questions to candidates beforehand, letting them practice before. This helps set candidates up for success before they enter the interview!
One of the fastest ways to get candidates frustrated with you is to ask off-topic, personal, or worse, intrusive questions when conducting an interview.
Considering that over 80% of job seekers say a positive or negative candidate experience can change their minds about a role or company, it’s crucial to get the interview questions right. Not to mention, asking the wrong kind of questions does nothing in telling you whether a candidate is job-ready or not.
Stick to factual questions that reveal a candidate's past work behaviours and competencies. And remember, you're measuring their role fit, not what school they attended or what they do after work hours. This also helps keep your unconscious bias down, as you're less likely to make a hiring decision based on whether the candidate has a similar background or interests to you.
Extra Tip: In the introduction part, when chatting to the candidate, if you want to ask a broader question, make sure it's still job-related. There's the classic "tell me about yourself" question, which is broad and open-ended but still specific to showcasing the candidate's work history.
After public speaking, the job interview is people's second most nerve-wracking experience. In fact, going for a job interview is worse than going on a first date, with 93% admitting they felt more nervous before an interview.
According to Alex, this places the responsibility on the interviewers' shoulders to make candidates feel at ease and focused on answering questions to the best of their ability.
Some ways to do this:
Some interviewers need to remember that the interview is actually about the candidate. It's their time to shine and tell you what you need to know about their competencies, past experiences, and job readiness.
How to stay present during the interview:
And one of Alex's most straightforward tips is just to let the candidate speak!
So the interview is over. Either the candidate made a positive impression on you, or you're sure that this person isn't right for the role. Either way, don't vanish and ghost! This person gave up their free time to prepare and sit in an interview. Acknowledging this and thanking them for their time should be basic etiquette.
Moreover, ghosting candidates can be harmful to your employer brand. In the age of social media and GlassDoor reviews, negative reviews can harm how future candidates perceive your company.
In case there are delays internally with reaching a decision on a candidate, sending candidates a quick update doesn't cost anything. Being polite, professional, and honest not only positively reflects on you as a brand, but it's also a decent thing to do.
At the end of the day, the interview process is as much about assessing the candidate as it's about the candidates assessing you. Always remember this when interviewing! At the very least, you’ll probably have nicer Glassdoor reviews!
In this exclusive webinar, Alva's Talent Acquisition Manager Lisa Sindsjö Grahn, and Alva's Head of People, Linnea Bywall, will talk about their own experience of interviewing candidates, sharing their best tips on creating an exceptional candidate experience.
Learn how to:
✅Prepare your candidates before the interview
✅Improve the candidate experience
✅Ask the right interview questions to get the responses you need
✅Close roles with the best candidates