How to Outline Your Interview Process to Hire Stellar Candidates

It’s no secret the hiring process can be a time consuming task. And without the proper interview process in place you could be wasting more than you thought. Not having a game plan before stepping into an interview should never be an option. This not only wastes you and your staffs’ time, but it waste your stellar candidate’s time and makes a poor impression. In order to save time, money and capture the best candidates, take a look at these tips to create a streamlined and effective interview process.

Define the Ideal Candidate:

To prevent wasted time on candidates who may not fit the bill, it’s important to determine what the ideal candidate will look like. Consider the following characteristics when creating personas.

• Years of Experience/Background

• Team Player

• Some who brings value to their role

• Required technical skills

• Independent in their work and thinking

These characteristics will differ when it comes to different roles, but outlining traits you believe will benefit a role the most is a great place to start.

Nail Down the Interview Process:

While dependent on the type of roles, now is the time to develop the structure for the interviewing process. For a general idea of an average structured process take a look at the following:

1. Recruiter Screening – This is the first step where a recruiter takes a look at the applications received and culls out the candidates who wouldn’t be a fit for the role.

2. Hiring Manager Screening – Most people refer to this as the phone screening. This is a general interview where you find out more about the candidate’s work experience and see if their skills align with the position.

3. In-person Interview – In-person interviews are generally done in several stages.

   1. Panel Interview: This is the type of interview that allows the potential team members gauge how’d they interact with the candidate. They can learn a little more about their skillset and see if the candidate would mesh well with the team culture.

   2. One-on-One: These interviews may occur with the hiring manager or their potential supervisor. This interview is designed to determine the aptitude of the candidate and explain more about how the department is run, the management style, etc. Consider this more of a technical interview.

   3. Walk Through: Providing a candidate an opportunity to take a tour with an employee allows them to better access the culture and get to know more team members.

Having a well-rounded interview, while seemingly daunting to coordinate so many meetings, is beneficial to provide the stellar candidates with a thorough look into the company. To learn more about how Skywalk Group can assist with your recruiting and hiring efforts, contact us here today.