Insights into the forces shaping our industry.

When you start interviewing a new potential employee, they are judging you as much as you are judging them. According to Indeed, the average candidate applies for up to 15 jobs a week and the average hiring process takes 3 to 6 weeks, from the time the candidate sends in their resume to the time they accept an offer. 

When there are delays in the interviewing process candidates start wondering why! Here are a few concerns delays bring up:

• Is your company slow to make decisions?
• How much red tape / bureaucracy is there in this company? 
• Are they slow to answer customers’ questions, respond to special requests or price inquires, etc.?

To avoid these concerns, here are some things you need to do to make sure you have a solid interviewing process and put your company in a position to hire top candidates. 

When you are ready to interview a candidate, understand that some candidates are currently working and might not have flexibility during the day to do a phone interview. For example, inside sales or manufacturing positions are in a bullpen right next to the coworkers or on the plant floor where it would be difficult to talk about why they are interested in leaving the current company. Give several time options when scheduling interviews and make sure to include lunch, before or after hours or even on weekends.

If your candidates must travel for a face-to-face interview, make sure you are very clear about how those expenses will be covered and by whom. This is especially true for entry level – mid level candidates who may not be able to afford those expenses. If the cost is high and the candidate is paying the expenses upfront, to be reimbursed later, make sure they have all the forms necessary to complete for reimbursement. Make sure to process the reimbursement promptly and inform the candidate when they will be reimbursed. Delays in reimbursement can cause a financial burden on the candidate and/or cause them to question the financial stability of your company (If the company isn’t paying me on time, are they paying their vendors, partners / rep agencies on time?). If you are in a rural or difficult area to get to, make sure you let them know which hotel(s) you recommend, suggestions of restaurants or better yet set up a dinner or lunch with them and their manager or someone from the company they’ll work with.

Once you have set up a face-to-face interview, be clear on the agenda: the start time, how long they will be there (allow for bathroom breaks if it’s over 2 or 3 hours), the names and titles of each person interviewing them, etc. Be clear about the dress attire. If they are doing a plant tour do they need to have PPE equipment and do they need to bring their own or will it be provided.