HIRING TIPS IN A TIGHT JOB MARKET
If you’re planning to add employees this year, you’ll be facing an increasingly tight labor market. Nationally, unemployment is holding at 5 percent; Colorado’s rate is 3.6 percent. And within IT, unemployment is at a mind-blowing low of 2.4 percent. Colorado is basically at full employment.
With a smaller pool of workers to choose from, finding a candidate who is not only right for the job but also a good fit for your organization and wants the job may be more challenging. To increase your odds of success, you may want to consider finetuning your interview process. If you’re still utilizing an overly formal process or asking outdated or obscure questions, you may be weeding out good and bad candidates.
For years, applicants have endured questions about their “greatest strengths and weaknesses” and “where they expect to see themselves in five years.” But those questions really don’t provide much insight into how a candidate will perform in a specific role. Instead, they offer an opportunity for applicants to tell a hiring manager what they think he or she will want to hear.
In the same vein, questions about what song best describes a candidate’s work style or which superhero they relate to most might reveal a certain degree of creativity. But unless you run an advertising agency, their responses won’t reveal much about how their skill set might apply to the job.
Lazlo Bock, senior vice president of people operations at Google, told The New York Times: “On the hiring side, we found that brainteasers are a complete waste of time. How many golf balls can you fit into an airplane? How many gas stations in Manhattan? A complete waste of time. They don’t predict anything. They serve primarily to make the interviewer feel smart.”
Bock says the company has shifted toward behavioral interviewing, which involves asking candidates about how they handled past challenges and using that information to determine future success. Behavioral interviewing is said to be 55 percent predictive of future on-the-job behavior, while traditional interviewing is only 10 percent predictive.
There is definitely not a one-size-fits-all approach to interviewing.
For some organizations, behavioral interviewing might produce good results, while other firms or positions might require more specific tests. One engineering firm I work with, for example, requires applicants to perform an online evaluation before coming in for a second interview. But to help companies compete, I have listed a few strategies that may be worth incorporating into your process.
Focus on the story: In the early stages of the screening process, I find it’s helpful to employ a more open-ended approach. Instead of starting with a specific question, I almost always ask a candidate to take me through their career progression and highlight the items that are most important to them. This gives me a peek into the individual’s presentation skills and offers insight into what they consider their most valuable skills. Avoiding a pre-programmed list of questions also opens the door for more dialogue and provides me with a better sense of the candidate’s personality. Everyone has a story; you just need to give them the opportunity to tell it.
Customize your approach: You may need to blend interview styles or use a variety of questions or metrics to land the right candidate for a certain job. For some positions, you might need to supplement the interview process by asking to see a past portfolio of work or requiring an audition “project.” For others, such as programmers, passing a skills test might be an essential requirement. The point is to be flexible and to tailor the interview to gather the information that will be most useful in making your decision.
Test their knowledge about you: Figuring out how much a candidate knows about your organization will not only reveal their commitment level but will help you determine if the candidate is a good cultural fit. Rather than asking what they know about your firm, ask what they think you can do better or differently. Their answer will show whether they’ve done their homework and how they could potentially contribute once they have the job. Can they articulate your vision or mission? Do they understand your industry? If their answers are lacking, consider it a red flag.
Evaluate what they do, not just what they say: I hear from clients who are mystified when candidates drop out of the interview process or turn down an offer. If they looked more closely, they might have noticed warning signs along the way. Observe a candidate’s behavior during the entire interview process. Do they respond quickly to e-mails or phone calls? Do they have a positive attitude? Do they interact well with other members of your team? Your answers can offer clues to their true level of interest.
No tricks. Stop looking to be unique by using tricky questions or searching for ways to trip up potential employees. I believe if candidates are able to talk freely and answer questions, you actually find out more about them as people. Having one signature question can help define cultural fit or serve as a basis for comparison, but open-ended questions and free dialogue go a long way.
Start the year right. Be authentic in your interviews. You’ll likely garner better candidates as a result.