Recruitment- Selection interviewing
One of the key aspects to any successful recruitment process is the actual interview, that time spent face to face with the candidate. A.I. Technology cannot, with its present capabilities, replicate what the recruiter can do within the interview. At the shortlisting stage, (Artificial Intelligence) A.I. can find a special type of profile but will struggle to understand or influence the person behind that profile.
This human aspect of recruiting is vital to understanding how a candidate will behave in a specific role. There are a number of tools a recruiter can use to support the profile they are building of the candidate including: psychometric profiling; skill-based testing; credit and criminal checks; reference checks; and of course the all-time favourite, checking the social media profile of the candidate. Although these tools are available, it is the interview that is the most critical aspect to the recruitment process. However, it is often treated as the end of the process rather than the most crucial element.
“In their most introspective moments most Executives readily acknowledge that selecting the right people for the right jobs constitutes one of their most important responsibilities. Few decisions they will make have as direct an impact on every facet of the organisation, yet few other decisions are made in such an ‘illogical, slipshod manner’. Many argue that organisations are in fact, reflections of their top Managers.” (Swiercz & Ezzedeen, 2001)
There are a range of opinions on whether interviewing is a valid form of assessment, however it does remain one of the main selection tools used by Employers. Its validity comes down to the competency of the interviewer’s skills and abilities to conduct an interview that extracts the information required. The interviewer needs to have an arsenal of skills that cover different questioning techniques, the ability to interpret behaviour and validate their assessment and its accuracy. One of the most important skills is the ability to detect deception through validation of the information provided by a candidate.
To improve your selection interviewing techniques, updating your skills in the following areas would be an advantage:
- taking detailed notes during the interview;
- establishing how the candidate typically behaves;
- using unbiased sampling of attitudes and values;
- undertaking an in-depth exploration of skills, abilities, education and experience;
- following-up questions in response to information provided by the candidate;
- understanding the behaviours demonstrated through the answers provided.
Equipped with this knowledge, it is then possible to make an assessment of the extent to which a candidate would be a fit for the role they have applied for.
Linda-Maree Drake is a Director of Fegan & Co, a specialist recruitment company with a reputation of successfully appointing key people into organisations. “You appoint the people you like, we appoint the people you need”
Call us today to discuss your recruitment requirements on (07) 823 0105.