Make Your Interview Process a Competitive Advantage
By Josh Fulton
According to SHRM, 7 out of 10 organizations report difficulty filling roles. At the same time, Talent Board’s Candidate Experience Benchmark Research has found that candidates commonly withdraw from hiring processes because they feel their time was not respected or because the process took too long.
Those are challenges organizations can control.
Organizations invest significant time and money attracting top talent, yet many overlook one of the biggest opportunities to differentiate themselves: the interview process.
Your interview process is more than a way to evaluate candidates. It is one of the first experiences candidates have with your organization, and it shapes how they view your leadership, culture, and ability to make decisions.
The companies consistently recognized for exceptional hiring experiences, including Google, HubSpot, Stripe, Netflix, Salesforce, and Atlassian, share several common characteristics:
· Every interview has a clear purpose.
· Candidates know what to expect.
· Communication is timely and transparent.
· Interviewers evaluate consistent competencies.
· Decisions are made efficiently.
· The interview is a two-way conversation.
Notice that none of these organizations are known for lowering their hiring standards. Instead, they have built interview processes that are intentional, structured, and respectful of a candidate’s time.
Is It Time to Evaluate Your Process?
Ask yourself:
· Does every interview have a defined objective?
· Are candidates prepared for each step?
· Are we communicating consistently?
· Are we making decisions quickly?
· Would a candidate leave our process feeling respected, even if they were not selected?
If any of those questions give you pause, your interview process may be costing you great talent.
A great interview process does more than fill open positions. It builds trust, strengthens your employer brand, improves hiring decisions, and increases the likelihood that top candidates will choose your organization over another.
Your interview process is often the first real experience someone has with your company.
Make it a competitive advantage.
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