Hiring Managers Get Creative for Successful Interview Outcomes

Over the past decade, innovations in the recruitment process have typically revolved around the impact of technology.  From website applications to job boards, resume scanning software to social media, the lion’s share of attention has been focused on leveraging the Internet to streamline hiring.

While technological advances have helped speed the recruitment and application process, they cannot replace the creativity of hiring managers when it comes to weeding out non-qualified candidates who slip through initial screening.  Particularly in the current economy, where high across-the-board unemployment rates have increased the number of candidates competing for every opening, those responsible for filling positions are digging deeper into their bag of creative tricks.

“With the current economic backdrop, there is a greater abundance of available candidates.  But volume increase of candidates does not necessarily equate to an increase in qualified applicants. People are employing more creativity in the selection process to determine the best of the best,” said Peter Alonso, Chief Talent Officer, Kforce Professional Staffing.  “There are more candidates out there so we must leverage new techniques.  Some of these include having additional check points earlier in the process    and leveraging the web for on-line applications, testing and social networking.  This enables us to be responsive and provide exceptional service to both the growing candidate pool and our clients in finding the right match.  That’s where people are innovating and leveraging new technologies and processes.”

But while technology can help screen for necessary skills and experience, it is far less effective at evaluating a candidate’s core values to help determine if that individual is a good cultural fit.  Nor can technology accurately address the generational differences between the Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y – all of whom are competing for the same positions.

For these more intuitive aspects of the hiring process, hiring managers are incorporating creative techniques into the interview process.  For some, these may be utilizing a combination of one-on-one and panel interviews.  Others are asking unusual questions or finding different ways to take candidates out of their comfort zone to get to the heart of their true personalities.

Incorporating creative techniques into the interview process can be a risk.  But when they are effective, the return more than justifies the chance taken.

“The return on innovative approaches can be very high because you’re breaking barriers and working to become more efficient,” said Alonso.  “The con is that there is no historic trending of these approaches.  You’re starting from ground zero.  Understanding just how effective these innovative approaches are requires an investment over a period of time.  It can be a high return, but it needs to be tested and tracked.”

What They’re Doing

To determine what hiring managers are doing to increase the effectiveness of the hiring process, Kforce conducted a survey that looked first at the application process and then provided respondents with the opportunity to share some of their techniques.

In terms of resumes, 44 percent of responding hiring managers accepted them by email and 38 percent preferred online submissions.  Mail and fax were each utilized by 28 percent.  Thirty-two percent of respondents indicated their companies utilized resume scanning software, and 76 percent said their human resource departments pre-screened candidates before passing them along to the hiring managers.

The vast majority (88 percent) subjected candidates to between two and four interviews before making an offer, while 8 percent required more than four interviews.  Just 4 percent extended offers after one interview.  In 52 percent of the cases, interviews were a combination of one-on-one and panel interviews, 36 percent were only one-on-one and 12 percent were panel.

It is during these interviews where hiring managers are stretching their creative muscles.  While 72 percent of respondents indicated that they did ask pre-determined questions, that didn’t mean they stuck to a traditional script.

According to one respondent, because most employees spend more time with their co-workers than with their families, it is important to determine how well the candidate can co-exist with potential colleagues.  This is accomplished by asking “What do your co-workers do that irritates you?”

Another expects candidates to be able to describe themselves in three words, while another wants to know what their worst day at work was like.  One respondent asks candidates to provide an example of a time when they had to work with a difficult vendor or client. 

Other unique questions included “what frustrates you at work and how do you deal with that frustration?” and “what would you do if you disagree with a direction given by your manager?”

Questions like these help hiring managers get to the heart of how well a candidate responds to pressure and provides insights into how well they can trouble-shoot and resolve problems.  Most importantly, they give hiring managers the information they need to accurately determine how well a candidate will fit within a company’s organizational culture.

“The cultural fit is becoming more important,” said Kforce’s Alonso.  “You want to know not only what someone’s skills are, but also what drives that person.  The creative questions bring that to the surface.  Also, creative questions are tailored toward reaching different generations.  If you’re looking for an answer from someone who is a Baby Boomer versus Generation Y or X, you may ask the same question differently to determine an appropriate match.”

Hiring managers aren’t just applying a creative twist to what they are asking.  They’re also taking a fresh approach to how they act in interviews.  Some survey respondents indicated that they focus on putting the candidates at ease so they can get to “hopefully interview the ‘real’ person.”  Others were more interested in seeing how candidates will respond when faced with a negative situation so they “disagree with them to see how they react.”

One respondent said they include as many people as possible in the interview process, “even for a clerical position.”  Still another lets silence do the talking:  “Occasionally, if the candidate is giving short answers or just being non-communicative, I will remain silent and let the candidate lead the conversation.”

Creative or not, candidates can still be their own worst enemies.  When asked about the greatest faux pas a candidate had committed during an interview, responses ranged from nodding off to swearing.  One candidate informed the interviewer that the meeting needed to be wrapped up by a certain time because they had another appointment, while another admitted that she couldn’t get along with other people.

Other notable mistakes included one candidate who “acted like he owned the place,” and another who “initiated a high five after we described the position’s responsibilities.”  Other hiring managers pointed to candidates who were too casual or nonchalant, verbally attacked previous employers, chewed gum, didn’t wear a suit jacket, or rambled on about things that were irrelevant to the interview as some of the most egregious errors.

One candidate “became very upset because they were not prepared for the type of questions being asked,” said one respondent.  Another indicated that “too many candidates lack a basic understanding of my company and what we do.”

The Candidate’s Perspective

While common sense is the only way to avoid some of the sillier mistakes identified by survey respondents – like the candidate who answered his cell phone during the interview – nothing can replace careful preparation to ensure candidates are ready for whatever curveballs an interviewer may throw their way.

“This is basic, but candidates need to be proactive and they need to practice.  They need to understand what they bring from a skill set standpoint and also as a person,” said Kforce’s Alonso.  “Candidates also need to do the appropriate research on the organizations they’re interviewing with.  They can be leveraging the same techniques and technologies to prepare for their interviews as hiring managers are using to check out the candidates.  Hiring managers will be looking up candidates on LinkedIn, Facebook or MySpace; candidates can do that too.”

In its survey, Kforce asked recent job candidates what resources they used to prepare for interviews.  While many indicated standard sources including the Internet, news media, SEC filings, Dun & Bradstreet, Hoovers and corporate websites, others said they went through mock interviews with corporate managers and recruiters, conducted Internet-based self-analysis and attended seminars designed to help refine interviewing techniques.

This kind of preparation helped candidates navigate the often-treacherous waters of today’s interview, in part by helping eliminate the element of surprise that often accompanies the unexpected questions favored by many of today’s hiring managers.

What are some of those problematic questions?  According to one respondent, it’s the time-honored inquiry about where candidates see themselves in five years.  “You’re interviewing for a specific job and you don’t want to look like you’re interviewing for your boss’ job.”

Another noted that questions about long-term goals are problematic because “if you reach too far, you might talk yourself out of a job, and if you set your expectations too low, you can still talk yourself out of a job.  So how do you really determine what they are looking for before you respond to that question as either a true go-getter or someone that can accept a slow paced environment that may have more cross-training?”

That is not the only traditional question that strikes fear into candidates’ hearts.  According to survey respondents, others include “the canned ‘what are your strengths and weaknesses’?” and “why do you want this job?”

Said one respondent:  “I feel like I’m lying with an answer they will like [when] ‘I want to feed my family’ is usually the truth.”

Another respondent pointed to questions about qualification levels, which are especially popular in today’s economic environment where hiring managers are dealing with increased competition for each position.  The question this respondent most dreads? “Why should I hire someone (as in me) who is over-qualified and underpay him, if he will only leave the job as soon as the next better opportunity comes along?  I cannot seem to explain that I’m not interested in job-hopping like that.”

The best way to manage these types of questions is with honesty and confidence, which comes from practice and preparation.

“As a candidate, you have to know what you stand for; not only in terms of technical skills but also the other attributes you bring to the company.  You have to be confident in yourself,” said Alonso.
 

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