As managers, we know that a bad hire can be costly. It hurt your team’s morale, and you have to decide whether to retrain or start over. Retraining costs time and money as does recruiting, hiring, and onboarding a replacement. So it’s understandable that you’re inclined to take your time when hiring. But how many rounds of interviews are enough? Here are some answers.
Invest the time now
It’s better for both you and your job candidates to spend time getting to know them now and evaluating whether or not they’ll be a good fit for your company instead of finding that they’re not and having to deal with a mess later on. Whether a struggling employee ends up quitting or you have to fire them, it’s costly for everyone.
Point of diminishing returns
So while it seems like it might be true that the more interviews, the better, that’s not necessarily the case. At some point, you’re just wasting your own time, hearing the same answers again and again, and causing your candidates to grow frustrated that you’re not moving any faster. Eventually, they’ll get fed up and accept a job elsewhere.
Be organized and strategic
Your ability to move quickly and efficiently speaks volumes to job candidates about your company’s overall competence. So as you plan your interviews, stay organized, and strategic. Each round of interviews should have a different goal than the last. For example, in the first round, you might be assessing each person’s interpersonal skills. In the second round, you might be evaluating their experiences and inquiring more in-depth about their past professional achievements.
Be considerate
Remember that dragging out your hiring process makes jobseekers anxious. Most of them can’t afford to be without a job for too long, and so they want the process to move as quickly and as smoothly as possible. Consider their feelings and their building frustration if you require too many interviews. A lengthy hiring process is a red flag to experienced job seekers, and as their excitement about your company gradually turns to frustration, you’ll find that your candidate pool shrinks as the best candidates get eaten up by your competition.
Be proactive
Use the interview time to share as much about your company as possible. Show off your culture, your mission statement, your values, some of your employees, and even the physical space. The more information the candidates have, the better equipped they are to decide for themselves whether they’re a good fit for your company. Although much of the hiring process is about you assessing them, most job seekers will eliminate themselves from the running if don’t see themselves meshing with your company.
There’s no one ideal number of interviews you should conduct to find your perfect job candidate. Just make sure you’re strategic and intentional about each interview, so you don’t waste anyone’s time. For more tips on how SSi People can help you streamline your interview process, contact our team today.
