With the job market being so competitive… How many job interviews are too many??
What is the right number of interviews? This is a burning question as recruiters continue to face challenges in the second year of an unprecedented labor market. Everyone wants the best candidates possible and to be confident in our hiring decisions. It sounds a little silly, but there is such a concept of too many interviews. Multiple, unnecessary interviews can be unappealing. Plus, it is a huge turn off to outstanding talent interested in working for your organization.
On average, job seekers are going through three to four job interviews to get a job. Tech Company Google, found they conduct 4 interviews before making a hiring decision. In many cases, it is taking an employer up to 5 weeks to schedule a second interview.
Recruiters are using phone interviews, single panel, group panel, and sometimes more interviews to determine if the candidate is the right fit for the position and the company culture. This leaves hard-to-find candidates plenty of time to interview for and land other possible opportunities with your competition.
Streamlining The Process
There are several ways to stream-line and make this process more effective for everyone involved. First, determine the type of interview that’s needed for the position your filling. Is it situational, behavior description, comprehensive structured, structural behavioral, and/or an oral Interview? Then, have questions written out for each position a head of time for consistency. Lastly, be as transparent with your interviewee as possible from the first phone call to the final result. This shows integrity and appears appealing to the candidate. It also keeps them interested in the position and your organization.
Number of Interviews
The recommended number of interviews is one. That’s right, one.
If the candidate is a good fit be prepared to make the offer of employment on the spot. Give the candidate a tight timeframe to accept the position. This way it doesn’t cause a delay getting back to other qualified candidates if the first candidate declines the offer.
If the candidate is a good fit for the organization, but not the exact position be sure to give them feedback and keep the lines of communication open. It is important to be positive and to keep those connections. This person maybe a great fit for another position that comes up down the road.
Recap
Below is a recap to find that “great fit”, to find those candidates, it starts from the beginning:
- Have a well written, defined job description to avoid any delay in responding to candidate’s questions about the position.
- Over communicate with your top candidates; from first phone call, to interview, and eventually offer or denial.
- Manage your time and use technology or automated responses when possible.
- Be transparent during the process to keep the candidate involved in the process.
Being responsive, prepared, and transparent will help fill positions faster with higher quality employees!
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