Move Beyond Hiring Interviews

The employment interview is a relatively familiar task for most people. A nervous candidate meets with the employer or supervisor, answers questions regarding their experience, strengths and weaknesses, and education. This method has been used by employers since before the development of human resource departments.

However, interviews only tell you so much about a person, and hiring the wrong candidate from too little can cost you time, money and ultimately energy. The following are some original ways to identify the best people for your business, without needing to repeatedly ask the same questions.

Test Their Skills

During an interview, an individual can tell you how good they are at a certain task, but you'll never know for sure until you can see them complete it.

Today, more companies are looking to skill tests in order for candidates to show their abilities. For example, you own a graphic design firm. Rather than merely looking through a candidate's portfolio, create a fake client based on your client base and have the applicant create a website page for said fake client. If you're hiring a sales assistant, have them sell something to you and your other employees.

Seeing their skills in action tells you a lot about their abilities and how they would work within your organisation. Additionally, it tells you about their soft skills, something you wouldn't get in an interview.

Hire Them Temporarily

A temporary hire allows you to see how candidates will perform their jobs. To do this, hire the candidate on a contract to perform a job duty. Either it could be a project for them to work on in their own time or bringing them into the business for a set period of time to watch them work.

You'll be able to see how they handle typical projects or day-to-day goings in your organisation, and they can get a better sense of the company.

It's difficult to determine in an interview whether someone meshes well with your company. You'll be able to get a sense but until you see them in action, you won't know for sure.

Watch Their Interactions

Bring them into the office and see how they interact with other people. How do they get on with the receptionist? Do they smile and acknowledge others as they walk by? Do they open doors for people? Then ask those people for their perception of the interactions. How did the receptionist feel in conversation with that candidate? Did others in the office find them friendly and approachable? This can tell you more about their personality than a strained atmosphere of an interview can.

Final Thoughts

Adopting new ways to hire staff can change how you view hiring, and how you view potential employees. You may still have to conduct an interview to clarify some things with the employee, but you’ll get a more rounded view of the whole person, not just see the items on their resume and hear about the things you think to ask about.

Adopting new ways of hiring can change how you view hiring and potential employees. Interviews may still need to occur to clarify things with the employee, but a more rounded view will occur if these methods are implemented. You'll see more than just the items on their resume and hear things you may not have thought to ask.