For many jobs, prospective candidates are willing to jump through almost any hoop and play any game to demonstrate their interest in landing a top position. For the most coveted professionals, however, this is not the case.
When interviewing high-level talent, the interview process is much more of a two-way street. Candidates are evaluating whether they want to work for your company even as you’re appraising them. Highly prized professionals know they have plenty of options and the resources to wait until the right position comes along. This makes it crucial that your interview style doesn’t dissuade top prospects from coming to work for you.
Common Interview Styles That Can Potentially Derail the Interview Process
Here are some common interview styles that can potentially upset candidates and derail the interview process:
1. Lack of Direction
“Tell me about yourself.” An inexperienced interviewer will often try and let the candidate sell him- or herself to the company instead of asking relevant questions.
2. Over-Interviewing
Having a candidate talk to key members of their prospective department can be valuable; testing their knowledge and seeing how they interact with existing staff. Having them meet every member of the department, most of whom aren’t trained interviewers, answering the same (often useless) questions over and over in an all-day (or multiday) marathon interview session? Not so much. Not only is it of little worth and wearing on candidates’ patience, it’s disrespectful to still-employed prospects who have to use sick days or vacation time to attend interviews. Ditch the tag-team interview.
3. Setting an Obstacle Course
An interview is meant to find out whether a person is a good fit for a job. Some positions may require a skills assessment test or technical interview, but outside of those defined spaces, avoid setting arbitrary tasks that aren’t representative of the actual work they’d be doing, or try to stump a candidate with logic puzzles, brain teasers or obscure niche questions.
A skilled interviewer is one of the most potent assets a company can have when attracting new talent. Not only can that interviewer zero in on the facts that are most important, they give candidates the impression that your company is competent and knows how and what to look for the talent it needs.
Learn More: How to Avoid Being Duped: 4 Ways to Spot a Dishonest Job Candidate
Talk to a recruiting expert from Sparks Group today to learn how the leading professional staffing partner in Maryland, Virginia, DC, North Carolina, and beyond can help your company secure high-level talent.
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