Studying the ongoing effects of the pandemic on hiring, interviewing, onboarding, and networking.

How Many Stages Should There Be in an Interview Process?

• How many steps is too many?
• What constitutes too few?
• What makes a good interview?

Your interview strategy should focus on two things: efficiency and momentum. Good talent does not hang around, so consider every candidate comes with a shelf life. You have a small window of opportunity to successfully hire the perfect candidate, so your interview process needs to be effective, positive, and personal.

Let’s review: it takes approximately 25 working days to hire someone for a role, from initial contact to start date. That, in the minds of both Benchmark Search and most candidates, is too long.

Why Do We Interview?

In the modern age, when so much about a worker is digitally accessible, why do we persist in holding interview after interview? While video interviews is the best practice for first-round interviews, an in-person interview is highly recommended as the final step.

Job interviews remain the most preferred way to assess professional and cultural suitability for both candidate and client. Despite errors caused by conscious and unconscious biases, the interview—whether one stage or many—remains a highly effective way to understand the person beyond the resume.

Whatever your interview strategy, we offer simple advice: avoid complexity, focus on efficiency, and use your interview process to build momentum.

Good Interviews vs. Bad Interviews

Interviews are an essential and effective part of bringing new people into your company. For many employers, it is the final piece of the puzzle to finding the right talent.

What constitutes a “good” interview is subjective, and there has been a vital cultural shift in job interviews over the last decade. Gone are the days when clients had full control, and interviews were one-directional. Now, especially for candidates over 25 and in industries with talent shortages, interview equality has been achieved.

Candidates are now judging your company, culture, processes, and career path offers.

Interview Stages: How Many Is Too Many?

Each employer has its requirements, and at Benchmark Search, we’ve made it our job to know when recruitment steps into the realm of ineffective. We ensure that each client receives a personalized interview strategy that reflects their needs and company culture.

When speed is of the essence, our advice is simple: consider momentum.

Why Momentum?

Momentum differs from simply speeding up recruitment. Fast recruitment runs the risk of shoehorning a candidate into a role based solely on immediate availability, which may not be ideal.

Momentum, on the other hand, is driven by interest and desire for both the role and the candidate, creating a more involved, agile recruitment process.

In niche financial and accounting roles, where talent shortages are common, top candidates are often already employed. These candidates will want a discreet, efficient, and agile recruitment process that fits their schedules.

You can attract a candidate’s attention with great branding, growth opportunities, a fancy title, or competitive pay, but you won’t keep their interest by waiting weeks to compare them to other candidates. They won’t wait, and someone else will likely hire them first.

Should We Continue Using Assessments in Our Interview Process?

Yes, you can absolutely keep assessments. However, make them relevant and be flexible. Candidates need to know they are supported and understood. Any assessments done digitally may need to be scheduled before or after hours. If you require assessments as part of an interview day or on-site interview, be empathetic to the candidate’s need to organize time away from their current role.

It’s also crucial not to require assessments too early in the process. You may not have built enough momentum to make candidates prioritize your opportunity over others (or over their current employer obligations). Assessments are valuable, but don’t let them become roadblocks.

What Does an Interview Mean to a Candidate?

Interviews are a two-way street and sit at the top of the hiring pyramid. You have sourced, vetted, and perhaps even pre-interviewed this candidate. The interview is where you make the final call.

This is particularly important for candidates as they seek to understand your leadership style, company culture, and vision for the future. They want to gauge what it would be like to work with you and be part of your organization. Whether your interview is in-person or virtual, ensure it effectively showcases the environment and values they can expect at your company.

Interview Strategy Tips:

• Consolidate
  Review your interview practice. It’s fine for multiple team members to want to meet a new hire, but if your interview process involves 4 or 5 meetings, conversations, or Zoom calls, it’s likely too long. The ideal number of interviews should be 2, or 3 if including any testing or assessments.
  If you want to involve more team members, consider panel interviews or back-to-back meetings (counted as one step).
• Communicate
  Your candidates are your future, but they are in high demand. If your interview process has stages, keep candidates well-informed of progress and provide ample feedback. There’s no such thing as over-communication during an interview process.
• Feedback
  Make your interview and assessment feedback relevant. Provide tangible feedback that allows candidates to understand how they can contribute to your company.

In our next article, we will discuss networking in our ongoing “Benchmark Search Hiring Forecast” series.

Updated 9/19/24