DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS INTERVIEW PRACTICE?

*Source: the web

WHY ARE COMPANIES INTERVIEWING ENDLESSLY? REASON NO.3

Sticking to the status quo.

Somewhere along the line, someone made a call that conducting, let's say, 10 interviews was the way to go when hiring a developer. Everyone got on board, and this practice stuck around even if the person who initiated it is no longer with the company. It's like an outdated tradition that just won't let go, and it's high time we reevaluate and break free from it.

#interviews #informedecisions

WHY ARE COMPANIES INTERVIEWING ENDLESSLY? REASON NO.2

Let's talk about another common challenge: the absence of data-driven decision-making. A lot of companies find it tricky to pinpoint the right time when they've collected enough information to make a solid call. It's crucial to grasp the return on investment (ROI) in terms of the insights gained from each extra interview. We need to know when we're hitting the sweet spot and not just going on an interview spree without a clear plan.

WHY ARE COMPANIES INTERVIEWING ENDLESSLY? REASON NO.1

Social loafing and decision avoidance

When there are multiple stakeholders involved, some individuals tend to shy away from taking decisive action. Instead, they prefer to spread the responsibility by adding more rounds of interviews. It's like a way of passing the baton to others, leading to prolonged and sometimes never-ending interview processes.

IS THIS MORE FUNNY OR SAD? WHAT DO YOU THINK?

 

*Picture source: the web

WHAT SKILLS CAN YOU LEARN ABOUT FROM A CANDIDATE’S QUESTIONS IN AN INTERVIEW?

Welcome to the second post in our series.

The second skill we will discuss is critical thinking: Does the candidate have the ability to ask critical questions, look at things from different perspectives, play the "devil's advocate," and conduct meaningful analysis to make informed decisions?

Questions indicating high critical thinking:

  1. Asks deep or challenging questions about the information provided. For example: if you mention a culture of teamwork and collaboration, the candidate might ask, "How does that manifest in day-to-day operations?"
  2. When presented with a professional or technical challenge, asks follow-up questions to deepen their understanding of the information provided.
  3. Able to respectfully disagree with the interviewer. For instance, if the interviewer states, "We believe satisfying customers means giving them what they want," the candidate might respond, "Based on my experience, sometimes customers don't know what they want. Do you agree?"

Questions indicating low critical thinking:

  1. Asking generic questions easily found on the web, such as "Tell me about your culture."
  2. Repeating or reconfirming information already covered in the interview process or readily available in the job description, such as asking about the salary range or work model.
  3. Not asking any questions and simply repeating or confirming what the interviewer said, such as saying, "I really like your customer-centric approach."

INTERVIEW HORROR STORY

“I did 6 interviews in one week, they ghosted me afterwards”

*from the web

 

INTERVIEW HORROR STORY

“I had three phone interviews before meeting with five people in person. I was told by the VP of HR that she wanted me to meet with one more person and then I was ghosted.”

*from the web

 

DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS CEO’S HIRING PRACTICE? INFORMED DECISIONS TAKE

Thanks to everyone who participated in our survey (link to survey results in 1st comment).

Here is a reminder of the CEO’s interview practice:
"I've been a CEO for over 2 years and I've finally cracked the code on hiring.
I look for just 3 things:
• Character
• Attitude
• Reliability
Anything else can be trained."

And here is our take on it…
We respectfully disagree with the CEO for 2 reasons:
1. Too broad definitions - what are “character” and “attitude” exactly? what do they contain? Imagine telling your recruiters or hiring managers to hire for great character and a positive attitude- you can be 100% sure that each of them will interpret this differently. In order to hire with accuracy we need to clearly define what are we looking for in terms of traits, behaviors, values and motivation. Broad definitions will just lead to people making their on subjective judgments and biases.

2. You should definitely hire for skills — although skills can be taught, some, particularly human skills (also known as “soft skills”) such as effective communication, emotional intelligence, and servant leadership. require considerable time to develop. When recruiting for a position, our goal is to efficiently onboard new hires and optimize the return on investment.

However, this does not imply that we exclusively seek out "perfect" candidates (if such individuals even exist). On the contrary, the skills-based approach to hiring encourages leaving our preconceived notions on what is the relevant experience and education at the door and to assess candidates on obtaining the relevant skills for the position.

INTERVIEW HORROR STORY

“A few years ago I interviewed for an HR position with a company ironically known for their good customer service . It was a training & development role at a large distribution center. I had a lengthy (1 hour) phone screen; then a 30 minute phone screen; 5 HOURS of interviews on-site with multiple people at the site. The interviews were back to back with a 10 or 15 break in between and no break for lunch. By the end I was exhausted and starving!

Then the recruiter called me the next day and asked if I could do a phone interview with 2 people who weren’t able to be at the on-site gauntlet.

I did not get an offer. I knew I wouldn’t when the people on site kept saying they like to promote from within. At that point I decided to just use the interviews as practice and I was morbidly curious how far they would take it. Very frustrating.”

*from the web