How to improve candidate experience through interviewer training?
Having worked with organizations to improve their talent management, I am amazed that one of the most basic and ubiquitous talent management processes, the interview, has yet to improve.
I remember my friend’s company had a similar situation. He was out on sick leave and they needed a temporary replacement. The new person was still learning the ropes, and it created a bit of an imbalance. The interview process was a bit disorganized and lacked proper feedback, communication, and follow-up. It made for a less-than-ideal candidate experience.
But, you know what’s even worse? A lot of companies still struggle with this even after all the research. They don’t provide proper support for their interviewers. It’s a shame because the same old, ineffective interview habits are repeated daily. These mistakes can lead to hiring the wrong people and damaging the company’s reputation.
Do your people managers have the interviewing skills to find, attract and hire the best talent?
The ability to recruit and retain talent is one of the biggest risks when shorter time-to-hire for business growth, innovation, and success. However, so many companies do not offer interview training to their hiring managers that they cannot make the best hiring decisions.
- Do you have a consistent interview process for all recruiters and interviewees in different geographies and departments worldwide?
- Do you want to improve the quality of your new hires through consistent, top-notch interviews?
- Do you have consistent and comprehensive hiring practices across your organization?
- Looking for more diverse talent? Are recruiters too focused on hiring similar talent instead of hiring diverse talent?
Interviewer training is key to improving a candidate’s experience at the interview. This is the most sustainable. As an interviewer, you should keep in mind how to be a good interviewer.
Empower your team with interviewing skills to make the best hiring decisions.
BarRaiser Interview Intelligence platform makes hiring a team sport, and hiring managers, interviewers, hiring teams, HR, and leadership teams play a key role with the candidate at the center of everything. Hiring top talent can give your business a competitive edge when all comes together.
But you can make your job easier with an excellent interviewer training program that gives recruiters and other stakeholders the interview skills they need to attract and retain candidates.
Qualities of a trained interviewer and how these help in candidate experience
Interviewing a job candidate might seem easy to inexperienced interviewers. Business owners and managers think conducting a job interview is as simple as asking candidates a few job-related questions.
According to a recent survey, that is the problem and the reason why 74% of employers had to face the fact that they’ve hired the wrong person for a position.
This staggering statistic highlights that choosing the right person for the job isn’t easy! Conducting compelling job interviews and enhancing candidate experience is very demanding and complex. This is why the whole interviewing training process must be highly well-planned, and interviewer training is the key.
-
How fast do you respond to a candidate?
One quality of a good HR is responsiveness in communication with candidates. A good HR should respond to candidates promptly and efficiently, whether it be through email, phone, or other forms of communication. All candidates are asked the same questions during a good interview. They do it, nevertheless, in a manner that resembles a natural dialogue. Which will provide a higher offer-to-joining ratio.
However, it’s necessary to balance being responsive and providing thorough and accurate information. So, a good HR should strive to respond to candidates promptly while ensuring that all communication is careful and professional.
-
How soon do you let them schedule an interview?
One quality of a good HR is promptness in responding to candidates’ requests for interview scheduling. A good HR should provide a quick response to candidates, whether it be to schedule an interview or provide updates on the hiring process. This can also help in increasing the higher offer-to-join ratio.
This helps to build a positive relationship with candidates, making them feel valued and respected, and it can also help to improve the company’s reputation as an employer. A prompt response also indicates a well-organized HR team, which is essential to a successful business. You can learn more about how to schedule interviews efficiently.
-
How clean is your application process?
This includes ensuring that the process is transparent, streamlined, and easy to follow for candidates. HR should also be prompt in responding to inquiries and providing updates on the status of the application.
The HR should ensure that the process is fair and unbiased and that candidates’ personal information is kept confidential and secure. A good HR will proactively address any issues or concerns candidates raise during the application process and make necessary improvements to enhance the overall candidate experience.
-
How quickly do you provide them feedback after the interview and the interview itself?
A good practice is to call the selected candidate and inform them that they got the job. After that, a usual procedure is to send a formal job offer email or letter to notify the candidate of the next steps.
A good interview also provides closure for all the rejected candidates by promptly sending them a post-interview rejection letter or email. A good interviewer knows how to say, “Sorry, you didn’t go, ” in a way to keep a positive image of their company’s employer brand. This will lead to a high candidate success rate.
How to make a good candidate experience
By interview, is the most prominent way of improving it is interview training. A good candidate experience involves a smooth and efficient hiring process, clear communication, and respectful treatment of candidates throughout the process. Here are some ways to make a good candidate experience:
-
Consider interviewer aim
A good candidate experience begins with an understanding of the interviewer’s aim. To create a positive candidate experience, the interviewer must clearly understand the organization’s culture, the position, and the expectations of the role.
They should not forget the aim or break the atmosphere example –
At the start of the interview, an interviewer, as an icebreaker, said HaHa, all candidates are from Manhattan
Which is not the right way To express so; how would be the right way to explore hundreds of things? Whether the candidate is successful or not, ensuring they feel valued and respected throughout the process is key to creating a positive candidate experience and promoting your brand as an employer of choice.
-
Introduce yourself in a way that sets the agenda of the meeting
Introducing yourself is your first impression to a crowd. Sending the right message about who you are from the start is a big deal. Your performance is more than just a way to break the ice.
By taking the time to introduce yourself in a well-prepared and organized manner, you can establish trust and create a positive environment for the interview process.
-
Having clarity of questions you want to ask
Clarifying the questions you want to ask is essential to making a good candidate experience. It is vital to have a set of well-structured interview and thought-out questions that you want to ask the candidate during the interview. This will ensure that you can assess the candidate’s qualifications, experience, and skills systematically and thoroughly.
-
Setting up the candidate for success
Creating a supportive environment that encourages learning and growth helps set the candidate up for success. This includes providing access to resources and mentorship opportunities, encouraging open communication, and fostering a positive and inclusive work environment.
Ultimately, setting the candidate up for success requires clear communication, support, and performance evaluation. By doing so, the candidate will have the tools and resources needed to succeed and grow within the company. Leading to a high interview success rate.
-
Giving objective and useful feedback to the candidate
Giving objective and valuable feedback to the candidate is essential to having a good candidate experience. It helps the candidate understand their strengths and areas for career improvement and growth.
Providing honest and meaningful feedback significantly strengthens an employer’s brand. Whether they are selected or not, feedback can help them understand their plus and negative points.
-
Keeping the least amount of interruptions
During an interview, it is essential to create a comfortable and focused environment for the candidate. Interruptions can cause candidates to lose their train of thought, creating a negative experience. Interrupting tells the person speaking that you don’t care what the other person has to say.
By reducing interruptions, the interviewer can allow the candidate to think and provide thoughtful, well-articulated responses. This can lead to a more productive and insightful interview, providing the interviewer with a better understanding of the candidate’s qualifications and experience.
Conclusion
All companies strive to have a high customer NPS, however, they should equally be focusing on how to have a high candidate NPS. Candidate experience is critical to developing a great employer brand and attracting top talent. Remember these seven elements, even if it takes more dedication and judgment. These quick fixes by BarRaiser Interview Intelligence can help calm the candidate’s nerves and improve the candidate’s experience with good interviewer training.
Reference
- https://fellow.app/blog/meetings/how-to-introduce-yourself-in-a-meeting-with-examples/
- https://www.talentlyft.com/en/blog/article/218/top-10-characteristics-every-good-interviewer-has
- https://recruitee.com/articles/great-candidate-experience
- https://www.youthemployment.org.uk/active-listening-why-is-it-important-not-to-interrupt/#:~:text=Interrupting%20tells%20the%20person%20speaking,for%20your%20moment%20to%20interject.
People also ask
Q1. What is your experience as a candidate?
A candidate’s experience results from every interaction with your company throughout the hiring process. These interactions span all stages of the recruitment pipeline, from the initial touchpoint. From recruitment application and selection process to recruitment interviews and new employee training.
Q2. How can I improve candidate engagement?
- Motivate candidates to work for you.
- Provide a hiring schedule and stick to it.
- Consider using a chatbot.
- Create an engaging pre-selection process.
- Give feedback.
- Automate the scheduling of job interviews.
- Ask for feedback.
Q3. How do you motivate your candidates?
By adding value to the recruitment process. This is a great way to encourage engagement with candidates. Add value and benefits to your applications early in the procurement process. An excellent example of this is offering free webinars or modules to help you in your field.