Most hiring managers wait until a job opens up before identifying likely candidates to interview, forcing them to start the hiring process under the gun to make a quick hire. Companies often make poor hiring choices in this scenario. This creates a disadvantage during the interview process I suggest you develop a plan to always be interviewing so you can fill job vacancies quickly and with the right person.
Don’t Meet with Just Anyone
You want to set clear criteria. You don’t have time to interview everyone. Identify what makes a candidate interview-worthy for you. What skills, degrees, certifications, titles, past companies, etc. are most desirable? There is no point to interviewing people who won’t fit your criteria, so weed out these candidates early.
Don’t Limit Interviews to the Work Week
Depending on the work environment, holding interviews after business hours or on a Saturday can be preferable. You don’t want to hold interviews when it’s loud, busy, or you may be distracted. After work hours, or on Saturday, you are able to give more focus to the candidates. Many candidates also prefer coming in on the weekend because it works better with their schedules.
Stick to Your Plan
Decide how many interviews fit into your schedule. Some can fit two interviews in a week. Some might be able to fit more than, or less than that. Once you have a plan, stick to it. Create a calendar that has the dates and locations you will make available to hold interviews – or simply spend that scheduled time reaching out to potential candidates. Things that are scheduled – generally get done.
The Right Match
It’s okay to tell someone when they aren’t the right fit. It’s better to be honest than to lead them on. If you sound like you’re interested and never call back, they’ll end up wondering what they did wrong. They may also develop a negative opinion of your company and pass that long to others. When you do meet the right person, and the timing isn’t right yet, keep in touch with them so they know you have a strong interest. They are likely open to interviewing with other companies, so keep them engaged.
None of us make great decisions when we are under stress. The goal is to find the right person, someone who will stay with the company long-term. When you are always interviewing, you’re in a great position when it’s time to hire a new employee. All of the hard work will be behind you, and you’ll have more of the right candidates to choose from, making you less likely to settle for a mediocre candidate. Putting a plan in place to always be interviewing is vital step toward reaching your business goals. In the final installment of this series, I’ll discuss more benefits of enacting this plan.
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