The traditional hiring process for an employer consists of roughly three stages: collect resumes, conduct an in-person interview, and then offer the job to the most qualified candidate. However, today can be a completely different story.
More employers are using digital methods or video capabilities as a way to reduce costs and speed up the time it takes to hire a new employee.
Employers and potential hires are increasingly able to schedule, record, and review interviews via smartphone apps.
So what are some of the different ways employers are finding candidates and conducting interviews?
1. LinkedIn
Employers are using the power of LinkedIn to find top talent for their organization. They have the ability to run detailed searches on exactly the type of candidates they are looking for. This allows the employer to reach out to potential candidates with little effort or obligations. Employers can also search by location, previous and current job titles, previous employers, schools they have attended, specific job skills and how long the candidate has been in their current position.
If you don’t want to reach out to a candidate, you can also post a job description on LinkedIn and have candidates send their resume right to you. This way, all the applicants are in one place and you can keep track of everyone without shuffling through emails.
2. Skype/Facetime
With today’s technology, it’s easier than ever to interview a candidate when he or she is not local.
Employers have access to a wide variety of technology for interviews. Some use web-cams, while others may use apps on their phone/computer such as Skype or FaceTime. In more recent years, organizations have started to embrace this style of interview.
Some pros to doing a Skype/FaceTime interview are:
- You can still maintain your travel schedule while being able to conduct interviews. A lot of times, employers will have to move around their schedule to fit in a day or two of interviews.
- It’s more cost effective. Instead of paying for a candidate to fly out to your office, as well as hotel and food costs, you can conduct an online interview and have zero cost.
- If you have a smaller office and access to only one conference room, finding a time to reserve that room may get tricky. With virtual interviews, you don’t have to stress over reserving your conference room for hours at a time.
Some cons of doing a Skype/FaceTime interview include:
- You can never predict what kind of internet connection the candidate will have.
- The candidate may not have access to a computer or internet.
- Some candidates are not comfortable on camera, so you may not get a feel for their true personality.
3. Phone
A phone interview is a common method for conducting interviews. Normally, employers will use a phone call as part of a “screening process” to see if the candidate would be a good fit for the position. With a phone interview, you also have the option to have multiple people on the call to screen the candidate. Just be sure to tell the candidate who is present on the call.
4. In-person interviews
This is traditionally the most popular method of conducting interviews.
Some benefits of a face-to-face interview include being able to:
- Adapt the questions as necessary
- Clarify doubt
- Ensure that the responses are understood
- Repeat or rephrase the question if necessary
However, the largest disadvantage of face-to-face interviews is the candidate may not be local.
5. Informal meetings
Just like many workplaces, some job interviews are going casual. An informal meeting is different from an in-person interview because even though both are conducted in-person, an informal meeting is more of a meet and greet and an exploration to find out if a potential candidate is a good fit.
Also, most informal meetings don’t happen at the office. Suggesting you meet at a coffee shop or local food vender will make for a more casual setting. Just be careful to not be too informal. Just because you don’t call it an “interview,” you still need to be aware of questions you shouldn’t ask from an EEO perspective.
“With today’s technology and trends toward more informal interviews and meetings, there are more cost-effective and interesting options than ever to help you identify great candidates.”
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