The BBC recently reported the ‘rise of the never-ending job interview’ and it got us to thinking… how many interviews is too many and what should the process look like? As ecommerce & digital marketing recruiters we deal with interview processes on a daily basis.Some run smoothly and some don’t… that’s just the way it is, right?Well, actually no. Or at least it shouldn’t be. You can learn a lot about a business that gets their recruitment right… and those that don’t.

Recruitment Red Flags

Recruitment is an organic process; things often ebb & flow to a natural rhythm which works for all parties involved. However, there are 3 types of recruitment processes which will raise a red flag with candidates.

For example, a company whose recruiting is chaotic, long winded and/or never ending should signal “potential danger” to applicants; it says a lot about their ability (or rather, inability) to make decisions.  It also highlights the potential for a troubled internal culture.

However, the opposite is also true. An organisation which hires after one interview with the hiring manager, often ends up regretting it; and if they don’t, the candidate probably will!

1) Chaos Theory

Chaotic process
Lack of control
Dysfunctional leadership
No/slow decision making
Poor communication

2) The Never Ending Process

Same interview with multiple people over several days never seemingly reaching an end point
Productivity is replaced by process
Indulgent & arrogant
Lack of respect for candidate (& staff) time

3) One Stage Strategy

Being hired after a single interview with a single person
Too hasty to hire
Don’t build rapport with candidate
Super-fast decision making often followed by regret (by one or both parties)
Costly when get it wrong

The best process to follow when recruiting

There are 3 main stages to a successful recruitment process which create continuity and quantify candidate engagement and value. Each stage is different to the other, but they all come together to form a 360 degree view of the candidate’s suitability for the role, whilst also giving them the best impression of your organisation.

1) Exploration – do you like the candidate?

This is when you quantify the candidate’s value to your business and their engagement in the process. This stage should (ideally) be carried out via 1-2 interviews with mulitple stakeholders and the hiring manager should attend.

During these initial interviews you should pitch the job to them (whilst not assuming to be top of their list) and intend to ‘woo’ them should things go well. Your purpose is to find out more about them. Find out who they really are and what they’ve done.

Understanding someone’s character and ‘likeability’ (whatever that means to you and your business) is a really important part of building rapport, and is an essential part of recruiting.

Ask yourself, “can I work with this person”?

“There’s nothing better than turning a candidate into a champion for your business and someone that really wants to work for you.”

(Patrick Tame, CEO)

2) Competency – does the candidate have the right level of technical knowledge and ability to do the job?

Set the candidate a task relating to the job and see what they’re capable of (you’d be surprised how many tasks get set which have no relevance to the role they are applying for, and therefore give no real insight into the applicant’s suitability).

Ensure you allow a fair amount of time for completion.

The candidate should then present their work during a second ‘interview’ and all key stakeholders should attend.

3) Team Fit – will the candidate fit into the team & business culture?

The key to understanding someone’s ‘fit’ is to let them meet the team they’d be working with. It will allow other team members to give feedback and stakeholders to observe interactions.

This works well as a full or half day where the best candidate/s meet and interact with the wider team, ask questions, and see what they do. It can be incredibly powerful.

Face to face is best, but should be done according to your own current Covid-19 safety measures.

There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to recruiting for your team, but you should create and work to a framework which allows the process to flow efficiently, ultimately enabling you to not only find the right candidate, but also to validate your worth as an employer.