Workast7 Great Tips to Enhance an Interview Scheduling Process
BySarah Harris
on December 09#business-tipsSarah Harris
Sarah Harris takes care of the customer support requests at Workast. She is also an avid writer.
Interviews consume many resources and time, from selecting suitable candidates to securing a location. Internal communication is also important in leveraging the whole process. That said, there are a lot of mistakes that people make every day when scheduling interviews.
This article will guide you through making your interview booking process smoother than ever before!
Plan early
Planning early saves you a lot of disappointment when schedules for interviews. It additionally improves your productivity, saves you time, and ensures the interview process is successful. Communication is vital for successful interviews.
You need to meet all people involved in the interview process early. You want to be on the same page as everyone who will get involved in the interview process. You can always make the meetings fun by incorporating different activities during the meet-ups. Come up with a complete plan of how the scheduling process will flow and how you will assess the candidates.
Continually update your plans when necessary.
Use interview scheduling tools.
Trying to schedule interviews manually is a recipe for disaster. Plenty of great online tools can help you keep track of candidates and schedule interviews quickly and easily.
There are several interview software for HR teams that streamline the whole interview process. It includes checking available time slots, managing candidate communication, and gathering the candidate's feedback.
Also, you can use online calendar tools like Calendly or Google Calendar. This will allow you and your team to see each other's schedules in one place and easily schedule interviews around everyone's availability.
Another great tool is interview scheduling software like ApplicantStack. These platforms make it easy to track and manage your interviewees and send automated reminders for upcoming interviews.
Don't forget the power of a good old-fashioned spreadsheet! Creating a simple spreadsheet with all your interviewees' information can help you keep track of everything in one place. Plus, sharing with your team is easy, so everyone is on the same page.
By using some or all of these tools, you can make sure your interview scheduling process is smooth and efficient - giving you more time to focus on finding the best candidates for the job!
Have interview scheduling goals
Goals will help you get the right candidate as you know what you are looking for. Your goals will vary depending on the nature of the position, the organization's size, and how many people are involved in the hiring process.
Here are a few tips to help you with the goals:
Ensure you clearly understand the role you're interviewing for. This will help you identify the right questions to ask and the skills you should be assessing.
Have a set number of candidates you want to interview. This will help you stay focused and avoid getting sidetracked by unqualified candidates. Also, how many candidates do you want to proceed to the next interview process?
Make sure your schedule is realistic. According to a survey conducted by Yello, 67% of the respondents take about 3 hours and 20 minutes to schedule an interview. You want to avoid overbooking yourself or your team and scrambling to get everything done.
Allow enough time for each interview. Rush interviews are never productive, so ensure you give yourself and the candidate ample time to ask and answer questions.
How many interviews are you looking forward to schedule for the entire business process?
How will members of the hiring team communicate feedback internally?
Pay attention to the passive candidate
A passive candidate is not actively looking for a job but would be open to the right opportunity. There are several reasons to consider scheduling an interview with a passive candidate.
They may have the exact skills and experience you’re looking for.
They may be more likely to be loyal to your company since they’re not actively job-hunting.
They are more open to negotiation since they’re not expecting to receive multiple offers.
To find passive candidates, try using LinkedIn or other professional networking sites. You can also ask current employees if they know anyone who might be a good fit for the position. Once you’ve found a few potential candidates, reach out and invite them to interview.
Try keeping things informal and engaging them through a relaxed tone.
When scheduling the interview, give the candidate plenty of notice so they can clear their schedule. You should also ask about any scheduling preferences they might have, such as the early morning or evening slots. Send a confirmation email or message so there are no misunderstandings about the time and date of the interview.
But how can you ensure you're not wasting your time on candidates who aren't serious about making a move? Here are a few tips:
Do your research. Before reaching out to passive candidates, take some time to learn about their career history and what they're looking for in a new opportunity. This will help you determine whether they're a good fit for the role you're trying to fill.
Be direct. When you do reach out, be upfront about the opportunity and why you think they'd be a great fit. Candidates appreciate straight talk, so don't try to sugarcoat anything or beat around the bush.
Make it easy for them to say yes. The last thing you want is for a candidate to feel like they're being pressured into something they're not ready for. So, make sure you give them all the information they need upfront and make it easy for them to schedule a time for an initial chat or call.
Follow up regularly. Once you've made initial contact, stay in touch with regular updates on the role and the company. If a candidate feels like
Have standardized interview questions.
When conducting an interview, have a set of questions to ask every candidate. This ensures that you're gathering the same information from each person and can fairly compare the responses. It also helps to keep the interviewee focused and on track.
Make sure your questions are relevant to the position.
Your questions should be geared towards determining if the candidate has the skills and qualities necessary for success in the role. Avoid asking general questions that could apply to any job or focus on topics irrelevant to the position.
Avoid leading questions.
Leading questions can be answered with a simple yes or no and don't require any thought or explanation from the candidate. These questions can make it challenging to get helpful information from an interview. Also, they can lead to biased results.
Be prepared to follow up.
After asking a question, be prepared to dig deeper if necessary. Follow-up questions can help you clarify a response or get more information about a particular topic. They also show that you're interested in what the person has to say and are willing to engage in further conversation.
Take a hard look at your recruitment process.
If you're not happy with the quality of your hires, it's time to take a hard look at your recruitment process. Here are a few tips to enhance your interview scheduling process:
Define your ideal candidate. Before you can start looking for candidates, you need to know who you're looking for. Spend some time defining the skills and qualities that are most important for the role you're trying to fill.
Send confirmation emails and reminders. Once an interview is scheduled, send a confirmation email to the candidate with all the details they need (location, time, etc.). Then, send them a reminder email or text message on the day of the interview.
Follow up after each interview. After each interview, reach out to the candidate to thank them for their time. Let them know when they can expect to hear back from you about the next steps in the process.
Collect interviewer feedback
After each interview, it’s essential to take some time to reflect on what went well and what could be improved. Share the feedback with the interviewers and the interviews so they can improve for future interviews.
Some key points to cover when asking for feedback:
Did the interviewer ask all the questions you prepared?
Did the interviewer seem interested in your responses?
Did the interviewer make you feel comfortable?
Was the interviewer friendly and professional?
Did the interviewer provide adequate time for each question?
Do you have any suggestions on how the interviewer could improve?
It’s also important to note any red flags that may have come up during the interview. These could be anything from rude or unprofessional behavior. It could also be not asking any questions about your experience.
Feedback is essential to improve the whole interview scheduling process.
Become the best interviewer
Scheduling a successful interview process requires a lot of prior communication. Sometimes you might not be the only one involved in the interviewing process; hence you need to ensure that everyone you are working with is on the same page as you.
Also, apart from going for the active candidates, a passive candidate might be the perfect fit.
Lastly, use interview scheduling tools or software to ease the whole situation.