What Are the Biggest Concerns in the Job Interview Process?

Every business organization has a unique interviewing procedure, but have you ever stepped back and checked yours?

Have you ever found that the individual you hired to complete a task after a thorough CV check and interview process turned out to be quite different from what you had anticipated?

If you consistently find yourself making poor hiring decisions, it is likely that your interview process is at fault. It may be necessary to assess your interview methods, ensure that you are asking the appropriate questions, and determine which types of answers lead to the most successful hires.

It can be challenging to identify the poor practises and flaws in the interview process, particularly if they have existed from the beginning and have been ingrained in the “way we do things”.

Today, in this blog post, we focus on typical challenges faced while interviewing and explore different ways to enhance your hiring process.

Here Are Some Of The Biggest Concern In The Job interview Process

While facing the interviews. these are some problems with the interview process. Let's have a look.

Hiring Candidates Based on Their Likeability Vs. Their Competencies for the Job

When making candidate hiring decisions, it is quite common for us to be influenced by our personal preferences and biases. We may naturally gravitate toward certain types of individuals and personalities. However, relying solely on likeability as a basis for hiring is not the most effective approach. It is crucial to determine whether candidates possess the necessary competence and qualifications for the role. The ideal candidate may not always be the one we personally favour.

The Department of Human Health and Services (HHS) provides a definition of core competencies in its HR guide called “Introduction to Competency-Based Hiring”. According to HHS, core competencies are determined by two sets of factors:

The first one is having skills, knowledge and technical qualifications
Secondly, the interviewers gauge candidate’s core competencies on behavioral characteristics, personality attributes and individual aptitudes.

As a hiring manager, your objective is to disregard personal likeability and instead focus on evaluating the core competencies of potential employees. Your aim is to identify candidates who possess talents that can be developed into valuable skills through training.

Failing to Overcome Interview Bias:

Along with avoiding the likeability trap, you must be conscious of interviewer bias and work to reduce it. How do you recognize prejudice in yourself?

Most hiring manager will inevitably exhibit some bias because it is a part of being human. So, it is best to utilise some predefined questions or a grading system to reduce that bias.

People are naturally drawn to others who share their interests and traits. That clearly suggests that if the candidate hiring process is unregulated, the office could develop into a social club. It is particularly relevant during interviews because you will automatically lean towards candidates you like without giving them a thorough evaluation of their suitability for the position.

Although few hiring managers and interviewers would agree with this hypothesis, it is unquestionably true. We naturally look for the people like us. Additionally, despite the recruiting manager’s best efforts to maintain objectivity, individuals are inherently hostile to those who are too different from them. That can quickly make a tiny CV flaw into a deal-breaker. In spite of any potential obvious gaps in their talents and abilities, a similar individual with more in common with them will nevertheless manage to get by.

Asking Wrong Questions to Candidates:

Job Interviews often adhere to a predictable pattern, resulting in candidates facing the same set of questions. This is especially common among experienced recruiters who rely on their interview skills and tend to use the same tried-and-tested questions repeatedly.

However, this approach is not ideal.

Each interview should be customized according to the specific position, and a carefully curated set of questions related to that role should be prepared in advance. In certain cases, additional assessments such as aptitude or psychometric tests may also be incorporated into the process, offering new areas for inquiry.

Tailoring the interview with specific questions is a fundamental requirement. Although it may require extra effort, investing time in customizing the interview will yield significant benefits. Additionally, if the HR team is conducting the initial round of interviews for a position that demands technical expertise, it may be advisable to have the hiring manager present to ensure not only the right questions are asked, but also that the answers are correctly interpreted.

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Failing to Recognise Cultural and Circumstantial Differences:

Effective communication is frequently challenging. It is possible to run into applicants that have autism, stutter issue, or for whom English is a second language. Sometimes, interviewees may come from societies with rigid rules about how to address superiors.

Remember that different cultures may have different traditions, levels of deference, and even senses of humour, may confuse people from other cultures. There may be gender or generational inequalities even when conversing with locals.

Focus on what individuals say rather than how they express it. As a recruiting manager, you might understand the importance of inclusion, equity and diversity in the workplace. Make sure you do not pass over incredibly talented individuals just they seem distinct from what you anticipate.

Not Asking for Examples to Back Up a Candidate’s Response:

Follow-up inquiries offer more information. Keep in mind that job applicants might utilise a wide variety of standard questions and responses to prepare and to give you precisely what they would like to hear.

You can frequently tell whether someone understands a concept by requesting them to give an example to back up their response rather than just a fact they have memorised in isolation. When individuals are able to share a personal anecdote concerning a comparable situation, it enhances the authenticity and reliability of their expertise.

Conclusion On: Challenges of face-to-face interview

The interview serves as the primary evaluation method for the job candidates that your talent acquisition team has recruited. When a candidate reaches this stage in the hiring process, it's crucial not to squander the opportunity.

Ensure that interviewers receive adequate training and guidance. Provide them with an interview structure to follow. Make sure they have thoroughly reviewed the candidate's resume or CV. Equip your interviewers with a set of standard questions to initiate a meaningful conversation with the candidate.

Acknowledge that most candidates feel nervous. Take steps to help them feel at ease. Interviewers can gain deeper insights into candidates when they are comfortable.

Listen attentively. Pay close attention to the candidate's responses. Ask follow-up questions that delve further into their remarks. Transform the interview into a conversation rather than an interrogation, while politely steering the discussion towards topics relevant to the job opportunity.

Now, it is time to overcome the biggest concerns in the job interview process. Stay tuned with us to learn more.

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