In my 12 years in HR consulting and recruitment, I have had the good fortune and pleasure of meeting and observing many managers at work in different company sizes, structures, cultures and in a multinational environment.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s a hip tech start-up, a scale-up with mega-funding, a modern medium-sized company or a multinational consulting powerhouse. They are all on the hunt for the best tech talent that will allow them to expand and thus increase the productivity of the company.
In addition to the right budget, many of these companies face another major problem, after all, the talent market for good software developers and IT consultants is hotly contested.
How do we assess the technical skills and values of our applicants and then convince them to choose us as their new employer?
However, management often lacks the experience or a systematic approach and the problems that arise as a result are complex:
- Inadequate evaluation of skills
- Subjective and non-targeted questions
- Unconscious bias and discrimination
- Misjudgments of ability
- Applicant disengagement and mental withdrawal
- Lack of ability to positively represent the company
- Lack of ability to attract talented applicants to the company
If companies do not train their staff adequately, there is a risk that they will become less attractive.
It is important that both parties feel safe during the interview. This means there needs to be a degree of respect between hiring manager and applicant so that everyone can ask the most important questions. But it also means a high degree of authenticity and empathy so that candidates can open up and employers avoid discrimination.
Here are the different areas in which employees with managerial responsibilities should be trained before interviewing applicants:
- Corporate philosophy, vision, values
- Information about the position and why it is important to the company
- What’s on offer and why it’s an attractive company to work for
- The applicant’s strengths and possible weaknesses
- Competence-based questions
- Unconscious bias training
Although our hiring processes may seem effective, we often make mistakes without realising it. For example, we might make decisions based on unconscious bias. This is where we inadvertently make unconscious assumptions based on stereotypes. These ideas may have arisen during our upbringing or through our training or relationships and need to be unlearned.
Otherwise, we recruit people like us, fail to challenge the norm, and miss opportunities to bring new mindsets and strengths to the organization. An example of this would be accepting the limitations of a disabled person without first asking them or trying to understand their lived experiences.
A diverse workforce is critical to an organisation’s success. Not to mention that every single employee benefits from a good hiring and interviewing process. But in order to assess the best candidate for a job, employees must have the appropriate education or training. Experience alone is often not enough. Training on how to formulate competency-based questions and assess the answers can be crucial.
Recruitment and interview training support employers in asking the right and appropriate questions and in evaluating candidates objectively. It also ensures that you are not making hiring decisions based on unconscious bias.
For more information or questions, please email info@optimyzeus.com.