Dear Not So Talented Acquisition Team,

Believe it or not, you’re not alone in this problem. Recent studies have shown that 30 percent of job applicants decline job offers because of their experience during the recruiting and interview process. This can mean that your talent pipeline could leak your best candidates after a bad interview experience. So, reviewing your process to ensure it’s smooth and positive for all could mean the difference between ending up with someone great, someone “meh,” or someone at all. Here’s what I suggest.

Make sure your interview team communicates logistics

Interviews often put candidates on edge, and therefore you want to make your experience as seamless as possible. Communicate any interview details (locations, times, security, etc.) thoroughly with your candidates to ensure that they have a smooth experience.  This can allow them to focus on their qualifications…rather than stressful logistics.

Train your interview team

Interviewing isn’t a natural skill for every team member. If you’re noticing a leak in your talent pipeline, double back and train your interview team to make sure that there’s strong collaboration between your talent acquisition team and hiring team. This will help everyone understand how to assess and engage talent as well as what not to do (i.e. ask illegal interview questions!). When you enhance your team’s recruiting and interviewing knowledge, it enhances everyone’s experience.

Have a structured interview process

Without a structured interview process, each candidate is likely to have a different experience, and thus it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly where the process is going wrong. Collaborate with your hiring team and help them build a structured interview process with interview questions that will help them select the right candidates. Before beginning the interview, make sure you let each candidate know what to expect and when. Easy for everyone involved!

Provide feedback to candidates quickly 

You’ve likely been on the other side of the table before. If you’ve ever applied to a position that’s taken weeks to get back to you, it didn’t leave a good impression. In fact, you probably felt like the company didn’t care about you or that they were waiting for them to find someone better.

On the flip side, if you take weeks to get back with someone, then they’re likely to get another offer in the meantime. Don’t expect anyone to wait around for you!

If the candidate will advance in the process, let them know. And if not, let them know as well. Good communication is the bare minimum you can provide to who you’re interviewing, so be prompt and courteous!

In the end, it can take some time and detailed collaboration to get your interview process back on track. However, this hard work will absolutely show and yield the quality candidates you’re seeking.

Sincerely,
Jenny