Whether you're a recruiter for a day or a professional recruiter, you lead or take part in job interviews. In a context of talent shortage, don't let a good candidate slip through your fingers because of a botched interview! Follow the advice of Merih Gauter, recruitment and employer branding consultant and trainer.
Whatever the size of your company, if you're part of it, it's because you've been to one or more job interviews. Unless you're the manager, that is.
Remember these exchanges. How were you received? How long did the interview(s) last? What questions were asked? What information were you given? How did you know that your application had been successful?
Finally, what made you decide to accept the job?
Perhaps you also remember the interviews that didn't work out. The ones that only lasted 5 minutes or the ones with several recruiters at the same time, like a "jury" or a "grand oral". The ones that convinced you that the job, and especially the company, were not for you.
Your own experience as a candidate can feed into your good practice as a recruiter.
Job interviews: learning on the job?
I remember my first recruitment interview. I have the impression that I was more stressed than the candidate himself. The exchange was very brief. Neither the candidate nor I spoke. I didn't know where to start or what to say. Then, by repeating the exercise over the years, I became more fluent. I even felt that my sentences and the flow of the interviews became automatic. Sometimes a little too much. Until I found the right balance between preparation and improvisation. But I also managed to adapt to each candidate.
The recruitment interview is not an exercise to be taken lightly. Between what you can say, what you should say and what you can't say, there are a thousand ways of not understanding each other. And there is a legal framework to respect.
Job interviews: a legal framework
First of all, job applicants are protected by law against discrimination in recruitment.
Article L. 1132-1 of the French Labour Code prohibits any distinction between candidates during recruitment procedures, based in particular on: origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, family status, pregnancy, political opinions, religious beliefs, physical appearance, surname, place of residence, state of health or disability.
In other words, none of the grounds listed in the law may be used to exclude a person from a recruitment procedure.
In practice :
During an interview, the information exchanged should be aimed solely at assessing professional skills. Don't be frightened if the candidate talks about their personal situation on their own. On the other hand, I would advise against initiating this.
What about disabled candidates?
Some applicants indicate this on their CV or covering letter. You may also have set your ATS (applicant tracking system), application management software, so that applicants can tick the declarations box.
You are a recruiter, not a doctor. So the presence or absence of a disability should not be a reason for eliminating a candidate from the recruitment process. I recommend that you ask the candidate not about the disability itself, but rather about the job adjustments they think are necessary.
A carefully thought-out process prior to publication of the advertisements
On the recruiter's side, a successful job interview requires preparation and follow-up.
Take charge of the recruitment process: start by defining the number of interviews, their content, the people involved, deadlines, budgets and recruitment tests.
To remember:
Each stage of the recruitment process must be worthwhile.
A candidate who has the same interview twice with his potential n+1 and n+2 is wasting his time.
You too.
Be transparent: indicate the recruitment stages in your advertisements. Similarly, be clear about the job requirements, salary and benefits. Candidates will appreciate it.
Set up your ATS to keep candidates informed of their progress in the process. Or, if you don't have one, do it manually. Difficult, isn't it, when you're dealing with a large number of recruitments?
A few pitfalls to avoid
First of all, don't add stages or recruiters that weren't initially planned.
Secondly, beware of cognitive biases, those shortcuts in thinking that are falsely logical and that are misleading when it comes to making decisions, including recruitment decisions.
For example:
You may be tempted to unconsciously favour a candidate with whom you identify, simply because they share a hobby, an opinion or a lifestyle choice with you. In other words, you might allow yourself to be seduced by a candidate for reasons that have nothing to do with the job you are recruiting for.
Finally, don't "ghost" a candidate by dodging their calls and reminders. If you haven't made any progress, tell them so. If you make them wait without giving them any news, even involuntarily, you run the risk of eroding their motivation to join your company.
Recently, a candidate expressed her concern and disappointment at not getting a reply. According to her, the interview went well. The recruiter promised to get back to her within a week with details of how to get into the job. Two weeks later, and after two email reminders, still nothing. Not only had her desire to work for the company evaporated, but the candidate had also mentioned the event to her friends and family. This reflects badly both on the company and on the profession of recruiter and human resources in general.
To sum up:
Maintaining regular contact with your candidates adds real value to your recruitment process.
Job interviews: special moments
As a recruiter, you should see job interviews as a special moment. And that means taking the time you need to understand candidates' professional and personal backgrounds. If you're short of time, particularly because you manage a large volume of recruitment, optimise your interviews by structuring them. Keep to the same thread, whether the job interview takes place face-to-face, by telephone or by video.
A special moment to project a good image of the company
For your part, you will base your decision on objective factors. The candidate, on the other hand, will base his or her decision whether or not to accept your offer of employment partly on emotion.
Of course, in the majority of cases, the contract is concluded. But sometimes the candidate may try to renegotiate the package, or even refuse your offer. There are several reasons for this:
- Your proposal falls short of his expectations.
- He has another equivalent or more attractive proposal.
- Leaving your current company is a risk that can "block" you.
It's precisely in the latter case that a carefully thought-out recruitment process will help you to reassure and persuade candidates by conveying a positive image of your company. What's more, successful job interviews - in the eyes of the candidate - give you the legitimacy to step out of your role as recruiter and don the hat of coach. This involves helping the candidate to take the plunge. More specifically, helping them to see themselves as future employees of the company. Give them information about the onboarding processadministrative details on signing the contract...
The job interview is just one stage in the recruitment process. Nevertheless, it is an essential stage. Because you are meeting a person with their own story, their own desires, their own personal and professional plans. This is undoubtedly the most human phase of the whole process, the one that already allows us to look forward together to a shared future.
