As the career market evolves, so do the ways of finding the perfect candidates to fill your roles. As candidates become increasingly specialized, selective and hard to find employers must take proactive steps and get truly creative.
One highly innovative new approach is to apply the speed-dating framework to the interview process. This means rather than extensively sourcing, screening and qualifying people to get down to a relatively small shortlist which you then interview, with Speed Date Interviewing high volumes of candidates are met.
How “Speed Date” Interviewing Works
An employer might, for example, decide that they require 4 team leaders for their IT sales division. Rather than source at least 200 resumes which they then whittle down to 20 ‘maybes’, who they take time to interview at least twice for hours at a time, they may instead reallocate all that time. With Speed Date Interviews, a few key members of staff become the ‘dates’. Candidates take a seat and answer questions or talk to the prospective employer for no more than 10 minutes at a time. Very quickly, just as in the real dating world, employers and candidates can get a genuine feel for whether they may or may not be a fit.
The benefit of this method, which is growing in popularity, is that several hundred candidates can be interviewed in a relatively short amount of time. Not only are employers ‘casting their net wide’ they are also reducing the risk of missing out on the right person through bad timing. After all, the longer an interview process takes, typically the greater the risk of losing someone to a competitor or other type of role, along the way.
The great thing about interviewing high volumes of people is that you keep your options open – you may discover a diamond in the rough that would have gone unnoticed during the standard process. Moreover, if there is someone you truly think could be a perfect match, you always have the option of inviting them back for a longer conversation to confirm your first impressions.
Used wisely, as part of a more substantial process or with guidance from professional recruiters, high-volume, Speed Dating Interviews can be a fantastic new hiring weapon in the discerning employer’s arsenal.
Will you try “Speed Date” interviews?
Image:R Reeves/Flickr
Author: Rachel Jackson
Rachel Jackson has been a successful international headhunter, travelling across the US and throughout France, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands to recruit the best talent. She has worked for IT clients as well as consulting for other recruiters. She is now a published writer, copywriter and journalist with over 12 years of experience, having written for national publications such as Marie Claire. She has published countless online and print articles, is co-author of two books of short stories and is signed to a London agent for a novel.
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