In today’s candidate short market, having a streamlined hiring process is paramount—especially when it comes to interviews. To be able to snag great talent, employers need to make this step as efficient as possible.
Undertaking interviews can take up a big chunk of your time, and there’s a real risk that candidates will lose interest if multiple interview rounds take an excessive amount of time. Simplifying and streamlining the interview process can reduce these issues, and still provide the information you need to identify the best candidate for the job. Here’s how to get it right.
Is there an ideal number of interviews?
In our experience, two to three interviews are usually ideal, depending on the seniority of the position. Here’s how this process might look.
Step 1 – A brief initial screening chat via phone or video
This will allow you to set your expectations for the preferred candidate and share an overall brief on your business, the position available and the salary budget. The candidate will also get to give you a short summary of their career to date and their level of skills and experience.
If this all goes well, a face to face follow up interview is essential. Phone screening is a great way to screen out unsuitable candidates, but to win over the best talent you’ll want to get an in-person interview as soon as possible.
Step 2 – Deep-dive interview with the hiring manager
If both you and the candidates are still keen to progress the application, the next step is to conduct an hour-long in-depth interview with the direct hiring manager. This gives both you and the candidate the opportunity to ask questions of each other and understand more deeply what the value proposition is on both sides.
This is an important step for many candidates, as research provided by SEEK discovered that 57% of candidates prefer a one on one interview to a panel or group interview.
Step 3 – Meeting the rest of the team
If after the deep-dive you feel the candidate is still worth progressing, you’ll need a second opinion! Try organising a face to face or video conference with the hiring manager’s manager or some other members of the team.
However, don’t overwhelm the candidate. It’s important to be sensitive about how many people are present at this interview, as about 55% of candidates believe “having too many people” in the interview negatively impacts their interview performance.
When it all gets too much
Holding more than four interviews is a warning sign that a company isn’t well organised. There’s certainly nothing wrong with two or three people meeting the candidate so they don’t need to keep coming back. Too many interviews can sometimes convey to the candidate that your business can’t make a decision or worse still, doesn’t respect the two-way process and the candidate’s time.
These candidates, whether you go on to hire them or not, will be ambassadors and sometimes even customers of your business. Therefore, you’ll want to treat them in a way that will reflect positively on you and your business.
Tips for streamlining your interview process
- Conduct a brief initial screening conversation via phone or video
- Balance the need to get the right people in the room with the candidates’ preference for having fewer people in interviews
- Role plays or presentations on real-life projects from your business are great ways to see candidates in action
- Be mindful not to drag out the process as great candidates will often have multiple employment opportunities concurrently
Teamrecruit is Australia’s most established recruitment agency specialising in truck, earthmoving and agricultural machinery dealerships in Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific and Southeast Asia. Find out more about Teamrecruit and how we support employers and candidates in the dealership industry.
