Interview processes across positions, industries and time have been similar and largely ineffective. Efforts to improve them have increased in complexity and cost but not in positive results. These changes seem like they should work, but unfortunately they do not. Thankfully, there is research out there that tells us what does.
There is nuance across industry and position of course, but overall, you can apply the strategies below to any hiring process to increase your chances of choosing a strong candidate.
STOP winging it. Yes, it is nice to get a feel for the candidate as a person, but asking different questions and having different conversations with different candidates makes it impossible to compare. This unstructured conversational style also lends itself to all sorts of personal biases that favor people we like and relate to regardless of their fit for the position.
INSTEAD ask all of the same questions to all of the same candidates in the same order so you can compare answers better and mitigate some of those persistent biases. This requires that you craft questions intentionally and thoughtfully to make sure they are providing the information you need to make the best decision possible. Make sure you and the other members of your hiring team are clear about what answers you are looking for so you can deliberate toward the same end goal. You should also capture some data on the hiring process itself to learn what is working and what is not. Be willing to adjust along the way, recognizing that no one process can ever be perfect and it can always be improved.
STOP going it alone. You have no ability to provide multiple perspectives and insights to the process or fully check your own biases.
INSTEAD include multiple people in the process to help add perspective, limit bias and more effectively assess fit. Make sure to include (when applicable) the person who will be supervising the candidate, a person who the candidate will be supervising, someone from the same team, a board member, a volunteer, and a client. You want the process to be inclusive and representative. Additionally, having everyone in the same place at the same time allows you to hear and respond to the same conversation while limiting unnecessary repetition.
STOP going with your gut. We like to think that our intuition is our best guide and that we should listen to it above all else, but our guts and our intuitions are comprised of countless biases, prejudices and personal beliefs that discriminate against candidates in several ways. They also skew our thinking to hire people we like and relate to rather than choosing the best person for the position.
INSTEAD create a rubric to capture answers and discuss with your hiring committee ahead of time what answers best fit for the position and your organization. Challenge comments such as, “I just can’t put my finger on it” or “I just have a feeling”. To further support the process, you can include someone in the process who examines the rubrics without having been present to the conversations to see what insight and questions come up for them. This also helps distinguish between people who simply interivew well and those who can do the job well.
STOP falling in love with experience. Just because someone has worked for a long time in your field does not mean that experience has been great. Or even good. Choosing someone based on length of experience seems like a good idea, but research shows it does not correlate with better hires.
INSTEAD do what you can to simulate the work they will be doing. This is consistently one of the best indicators of how candidates will perform on the job. In some positions, this will be easier said than done (e.g., teachers facilitating a lesson, writers writing) and in others you may need to get creative. But as best you can, give them an opportunity to show you what they can do, and unless there is an extenuating circumstance, do this during the interview process. It is unfair to ask candidates to put in unpaid work just for the chance to talk with you.
STOP asking hypotheticals. Their answers will not tell you anything except how well they answer hypotheticals. Polished candidates can produce wonderful responses to, “What would you do if…?” but there is no way of knowing if this is what they would actually do.
INSTEAD ask about experiences. The past is the biggest predictor of the future, so ask for examples of what you want to know. If people have trouble producing an answer, it can be an indication that they do not have any experience in that area. For example, if you want to hire someone who is open to and implements feedback, you can ask them, “What is a recent piece of feedback that you implemented it?” If you want to know if they are willing to admit mistakes and learn from them, ask them, “What was the last mistake you made that taught you something important?”
STOP dragging it out. Although it seems like more time should equal more insight, the research does not support this. Subsequent rounds of interviews do not inform better decisions and only end up wasting everyone’s time. Plus, the longer your process, the more likely you are to lose high-quality, high in demand talent along the way which is exacerbated in job seeker markets. This will depend on field, of course, but the average hiring process taking 42 days while nearly 40% of candidates say even two weeks is too long.
INSTEAD keep it as short as you are able. A quick phone screen and an in-person where the candidate gets to meet the right people is all you need. Round after round after round will not result in better decisions. Conduct the process efficiently and effectively and make the best choice you can based on that. Make sure you are upfront about the salary and timeline so candidates are clear and will not proceed if either of these is not a good fit for them.
STOP using arbitrary qualifications. Outside of industry-required certifications, many positions do not need the degree you are requiring or even the years of experience (see above).
INSTEAD look for people who have the unteachable traits and talents you need for the position. Lots of tasks can be taught, but many traits cannot. If you need someone who works well under stress, that is something they will be incredibly challenging for you to teach. Other traits simply are not a good fit. For example, if you need someone who loves collaborating with people, a position where they sit in front of a computer all day is not a good fit. So, forget about the things that can be taught and learned. Focus on finding people who already have the unteachable traits you need that fit the position.
Hiring well is one of the most important things you can do as a leader. Implement these seven changes and you will be on your way to a much more efficient and effective hiring process. As you implement these changes, keep track of which hires are successful and which ones are not. What might you have done differently? What could you do differently next time? Remember, no matter what your process looks like, it will never be perfect, so do the best you can and keep adjusting as you go.
