Avoiding mistakes in……….. Interviewing and recruitment processes
All too often employers will make a decision to recruit and then rush through a process into order to fill the requirement. Line managers will often be in the unenviable position of needing to find the ‘right’ person for the job or jobs within a matter of weeks. All of a sudden good process goes out the window and mistakes are made. In this article Dan Wise offers a checklist to HR and Line Managers when planning a recruitment process:
Everything should start with the role…
Get a really good sense of what the job description is and get this down in writing. It doesn’t need to be set in stone, but once you have this in place you can ensure the interview covers all the key questions; you’ve thought about whether and if so how to ask any ‘tricky’ questions; your interview is less likely to veer into risky territory; and your audit trail is anchored into what the role involves.
Managing how to work with recruiters…
Good recruiters will be good at building rapport with employers and candidates. But be aware that all your correspondence and discussions with recruiters will be disclosable evidence. Don’t get too comfy! Just remember that anything you say or write could be repeated to a Judge in Court. If you’re a larger employer with multiple individuals working with recruiters it’s a good idea to put a guidance note out or better still get some training in this area.
Organise your interview panel…
You may be a small company with one person doing all the interviews. Its best if you can have two people in the room to avoid candidates misreporting what’s been said. Whilst a good note of the meeting will help, having another person corroborate what was and wasn’t said is always best. If you’re a larger employer with multiple options for your panel, ideally select your panel before you start your process and keep this consistent across all interviews.
Co-ordinate what you’ll cover at the interview…
We’ve all attended interviews where stock questions are asked of all candidates, no effort is made to get to know the candidate and you’ve learnt very little about what the person will be like to work with by the end of the process. Don’t do this! But at the same time a completely free flowing session can also be a huge waste of time and potentially lead to high risk litigious content. There’s a balance to be strike here. Agree with your panel:
1. who is covering what areas;
2. some standardised questions so you have comparison points across interviews;
3. that they know what they can and can’t ask about (avoiding for example discriminatory statements and questions);
4. consider whether written tests; psychometric testing; mock exercises or role plays are necessary;
5. how you will be selling the role and the company, don’t forget interviews are a two way street particularly in a competitive market;
6. who is keeping a note, and ensure its circulated and agreed upon afterwards.
Arriving at the outcome…
You may well have a series of interviews with different interviewers for each, or just a single interview. It’s crucial to ensure that comments are gathered into written form and agreement is reached and recorded as to whether the candidate was successful or not. This will ensure that if the basis for the result is queried as discriminatory, you’ll have a clear written record of the fair and objective reasons why the candidate was unsuccessful.
Communicate your response:
Make sure you are timely in getting back to your candidate either directly or through the recruiter: whether this is next steps for a successful candidate or politely explaining why the candidate was unsuccessful.
Reference/background checks:
This is particularly important where the role is regulated by for example the FCA, SRA or other external body. Obtaining regulatory advice might be advisable in this area and ensuring data protection laws are complied with when it comes to receiving and processing references.