HR Hacks Series: Hack Your Interviewing Process With Collaboration

Once you’ve identified a great candidate, the last thing any organization wants is to lose them during the interview phase. That’s why it’s important to have an effective and efficient interview process.

You already know how to conduct an interview. That’s not the purpose of today’s post. The question is, can we make the interview process better or more efficient. Last month, we introduced the idea of HR “hacks” – a hack being defined as a way to make an existing process better. In our first post, we hacked sourcing candidates by expanding the company’s existing employee referral program. You can check out the post here.

In this second post on HR hacks, let’s talk about expanding the traditional interview process. In many organizations, a candidate meets with a recruiter or human resources, then the hiring manager and they’re hired. It can make a lot of sense to add more people to the interview process. Here are a few reasons why collaborative recruiting is beneficial to the organization (and the new hire):

1. It helps with onboarding because the new hire is building positive working relationships faster. A key factor in employee engagement is the ability for employees to build good working relationships. The faster an employee can feel like they are a part of the team, the quicker they can become a contributor.
   
   
2. New hires can get answers to questions that aren’t documented anywhere. This is a HUGE reason! Every organization has unwritten rules. Employees can get answers to culture-related questions and the inside scoop on things that aren’t written in the employee handbook.
   
   
3. A new hire knows more people than the HR/recruiter and hiring manager. If a new employee only knows two people on their first day, it becomes hard to get acclimated to the workplace. Introducing a candidate to a few employees during the interview process sets the stage for them to build relationships (as in #1) and get answers (in #2.)

This isn’t to say that using a collaborative hiring approach doesn’t have challenges. The key is to address them upfront. Here are two of the most common downsides to using a collaborative hiring process.

• The process takes longer. Getting more people involved in the process does mean the process can take longer. The way to keep candidates engaged is by telling them how your process works. And, letting them know the reason why – because it sets them up for success.
   

• It takes training. Managers and employees who are getting involved in collaborative hiring need proper guidance and support. They need to understand their role in the hiring process and the proper questions to ask.

In my experience, the benefits clearly outweigh the challenges. I’ve never heard a candidate say that learning more about the company – and that includes meeting future co-workers - was a waste of time. I’ve also never heard a company say that creating a process that helps retain new hires wasn’t worth it.

If you’re looking for a way to give candidates an inside look at the company, collaborative hiring creates a win-win. The organization can have more people buy-into the candidate’s success. New hires become engaged and stay with the company.

What hacks do you use to improve your interview process?

P.S. Be sure to check out our final hack in the series, which will focus on onboarding.