Face-to-face interviews have had a long history. But in many businesses, they're slowly becoming a thing of the past. It turns out that they're just not that effective at figuring out whether somebody is suitable for a particular job - and employers know it.
As far as traditional interviews go, there are two main problems. One of the problems is hiring bias. Hiring managers have a terrible habit of hiring the candidate who is most like them, rather than the person who is right for the job. As a result, companies with traditional hiring practices lack diversity and put themselves at a disadvantage. The other problem with interviews is that even without hiring bias, you never really get to find out what somebody is like to work with. They may be great in the interview situations, but they might be incapable when it comes to performing on the job.
So what can be done?
Well, one of the things that companies are increasingly doing is sleuthing on potential job candidates. They’re looking at their social media account and using free warrant search tools to find out whether they really do want this person to join their business. They’re also delving into their CVs and asking awkward questions about the career attitude of a potential candidate. If you’re an employer, here’s what to do.
Hiring somebody to a new position costs a lot of money. There are all the administration and advertising costs, not to mention additional costs, like training. As such, businesses want to make sure that the people they’re hiring are going to stick around long enough to make their investment worthwhile. It’s a good idea, therefore, to look carefully through a candidate’s CV. Check to see whether they have job-hopped in the past, and if so, why?
If the candidate says that they moved on because a company downsized, ask why they were downsized rather than other people from a different department.
Evaluate Their Portfolio
Anybody coming to work for you should be able to show you a portfolio of work they have completed in the past. With so many highly trained people in the workforce, looking through a portfolio is often the only way of separating the good from the great.
Finance professionals, for instance, should have a portfolio including details of any analysis they carried out as well as all the ways they saved their clients money. Sales candidates should have portfolios too showing how they won customers and their conversion rates. Portfolios provide hard evidence of competency, which is why they’re so important.
Ask Tough Questions
At the end of the day, businesses don’t care about people’s ability to answer questions at interview, they care about what they can actually deliver. Too few companies, however, get candidates to demonstrate their skills before hiring. This might lead to savings in the short term, but it inevitably increases costs in the long run. Ask hard questions and make sure that candidates are able to execute. If they can’t, it’s time to move on to a new candidate.
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