Is the Traditional Job Interview Still Relevant?
The job interview is a time-honored tradition in the hiring process. But is it still relevant? Is there a better way to assess candidates? The purpose of an interview is to understand a candidate's qualifications and determine whether they are a good fit for the role, but there is more than one way to do this. While the traditional interview has its merits, it can often fall short in accurately predicting job performance. There are other tools that may be better suited to identify talent and find the best fit for your open jobs. If your business has only ever done traditional job interviews, it may be time to rethink your hiring process and identify what methods are the most effective in finding top talent.
What Are the Benefits of the Traditional Job Interview?
Most employers use the same format, whether for in-person or video interviews. The interviewer talks about the job and asks the candidate questions about their experience. The candidate responds with a few questions of their own, and then the company says they'll contact them with their decision. This method does have its merits, providing an opportunity for both parties to quickly get the information they need to make a decision. Employers can observe the candidate's presentation and interpersonal skills. They can get an idea of whether they would be a good fit for the team by seeing them interact. And they can ask questions to test their industry knowledge and better understand their qualifications and previous responsibilities. The candidate also has an opportunity to ask questions about the job and the company so they have the information they need to determine whether it is a good fit for them. This format can be great for roles that require strong communication or interpersonal skills and is a means of quickly getting answers and gaining additional information.
What Isn't Working with the Job Interview Process
The traditional job interview is not without its flaws, however, and critics argue that it is time-consuming, ineffective, and prone to bias. It is difficult to accurately assess a candidate's skills and qualifications in such a short period of time and in such an unnatural setting. Interviews are often time-consuming and lead to quick judgements which can be faulty and influenced by stereotypes or poor interview skills. Some of the problems that can plague the interview process include:
First (Faulty) Impressions
First impressions are important, but they aren't always accurate. Some studies have asserted we form a judgement of people in as little as a few seconds, which leaves plenty of room for error. A "good" interview can be very subjective and employers who form an opinion about the candidate within the first few minutes can let this color the rest of their interactions, leading to unfair judgements.
Feelings Over Facts
Interviewers often rely on their personal impressions or feelings to assess a candidate's ability, personality, cultural fit, etc., sometimes putting more weight on their own ability to quickly size someone up than on the candidate's actual qualifications. Unfortunately, many people aren't as good at reading others as they think they are and that "good feeling" they have about a candidate can easily be biased by stereotypes or a misleading first impression. Candidates who are perceived to be likable or who share similar characteristics to the interviewer are often more likely to be hired, regardless of their real ability to perform the role.
A Good Candidate or a Just Good Interviewee?
Interviews only assess a candidate's ability to interview well, not their actual skills or qualifications for the job. Job interviews are often forced, unnatural interactions in what usually isn’t described as a relaxed atmosphere. This can make some candidates perform poorly because they are nervous and uncomfortable, while others may put on a false persona to impress the hiring manager. In either case, their performance in the interview may not accurately reflect their true abilities, which will prevent the employer from getting an accurate sense of who the candidate is or how they would perform in the role. In other words, good interviewees do not necessarily make good employees.
Bad Questions Produce Bad Answers
Type a phrase like "common interview questions" into a search engine and you'll get a plethora of articles with lists of the common questions and suggested answers. This is because interviewers tend to ask the same types of questions, which turns the interview into an unenlightening exchange of tired questions and rehearsed responses. Candidates can determine in advance what they think the person wants to hear and memorize an answer, which often includes more buzzwords than facts.
Fact or Fiction?
Studies claim around 78% of candidates lie during the interview process. This may include exaggerating skills, changing a job title, claiming to have a degree they didn't finish, or misrepresenting terms of employment to hide resume gaps. These candidates fear that telling the truth will reduce their chances of being selected for the role. It's easy for a candidate to say they are an expert in a certain area when they are not, or to claim they have worked on a project when they were only slightly involved. Unfortunately, these misrepresentations can cause major problems for the company if they hire someone who lacks skills that are vital to success in their role.
The Danger of Bias
Unconscious (or conscious) bias is a major concern in interview settings. Unconscious biases can result in candidates being judged based on factors unrelated to their ability to do the job, such as age, gender, race, religion, ethnicity, or socio-economic class. This can lead to candidates being unfairly rejected and can be especially damaging for underrepresented groups, who may already feel a heavier burden to prove themselves in an interview setting. Appearance can also play a large role in stereotyping. For example, attractive people are often assumed to be more likeable and tall people are considered more likely to be strong leaders, simply because of their appearance. From your voice to your clothes and the way you carry yourself, people make judgements which may or may not be accurate, and a poor or biased interviewer could allow these superficial factors to unfairly impact the interview process.
Ineffective Interviewers
Many managers find themselves conducting interviews with no formal training. They may ask questions that are illegal, irrelevant, or just plain unhelpful in assessing a candidate's qualifications. Even experienced interviewers can struggle to identify the qualities that will make an employee successful in their company. This lack of training and awareness can result in poor hiring decisions which lead to turnover and costly job vacancies.
What Are Some Alternatives?
Although the traditional job interview still reigns supreme, there are alternatives to consider.
Behavioral Interviewing
Behavior interviewing focuses on past behavior as an indicator of future performance. This type of interview asks the candidate to give examples of situations where they have used their skills or to explain how they have handled issues in the past. This can help the interviewer judge how a candidate reacts in a certain scenario, their level of professionalism, and how they solve problems. For example, if you're interviewing a Tier 3 Help Desk Technician, you could ask them to tell you about a time when they had to help a nontechnical customer with a highly technical problem. How did they explain the problem in a way that the customer could understand it? Did they get frustrated and, if so, how did they handle their frustration while remaining professional?
Virtual Reality Interviews
A virtual reality interview can be used to assess natural strengths and behaviors, as well as whether the applicant is suited for the role. For example, employers can use VR to put job candidates in a customer service simulation, where they can see how the candidate interacts with customers and handles high-pressure situations. This lets them show you their skills instead of just telling you, which can be particularly helpful for people who aren't strong interviewers, but are outstanding employees.
Job Auditions
If you aren't ready to invest in VR, the job audition may be the next best thing. This allows employers to see candidates in action and assess their actual skills, rather than just their ability to interview well. They also give the candidate an opportunity to see exactly what the job entails and experience the company culture before they commit, reducing the likelihood of turnover.
Be careful to comply with applicable employment laws, however. If the candidate is doing work you would normally pay an employee for, you will need to compensate them for their contribution. This means completing employment paperwork, withholding taxes, and paying no less than minimum wage. Misclassifying these employees can lead to penalties from the Department of Labor, Fair Labor Standards Act violations, and other issues. If you are considering job auditions, the best way is to go through a temporary staffing agency. The temp agency is the employer, so they handle all employer responsibilities, including covering the employee in case of an injury on the job. By using a temp agency, you can focus on assessing the candidate instead of worrying about compliance issues.
Predictive Hiring Technology
Instead of relying on a resume and your intuition to find the best candidate, predictive hiring technology uses data science to make predictions about a candidate's likelihood of success in a role. Implementing historical data, machine learning, and predictive algorithms, this analytical approach looks at factors such as motivation, work ethic, reasoning, and personality. Through this tool, employers can identify the best candidates, avoid bias, increase diversity, and improve their overall hiring process by making data-based hiring decisions rather than relying on subjective factors.
Skills Tests
Skills tests are another way to assess a candidate's actual knowledge or ability and are a valuable addition to the interviewing process. This can be anything from a written test to a practical demonstration. For example, if you are hiring a web developer, you could give them a test to see how well they know HTML and CSS. These assessments can include personality tests, work samples, and hard skills tests.
How Can We Make the Traditional Interview More Effective?
Perhaps none of these options work well for you, or you’re not entirely ready to give up the traditional way of interviewing. The fact is, it's unlikely that the traditional interview is going to disappear anytime soon, but there are opportunities to improve it so both parties establish a better rapport and get the information they need. Consider the following:
Stop asking the same old interview questions. Consider why you are asking the question. Because it was on a list you found online? What are you trying to learn about the candidate? Will the question actually provide you with valuable information, or will it encourage applicants to tell you what they think you want to hear? Is there a better question you can ask that will give you more insight into what you really want to know?
Role play or ask scenario-based questions. Give the candidate a specific situation that they would be likely to deal with on the job. Then either role play the scenario or ask them to explain how they would handle it. You should get an idea of how the candidate deals with difficult situations, clients, or customers, as well as what their values and priorities are. You can also use these exercises to assess their skills, industry knowledge, and problem-solving abilities.
Ask for examples of soft skills. Soft skills are the personality traits and abilities that make someone successful in a particular role or job. Some skills seem to show up on everyone's resumes, so how do you know if someone really is a team player or a hard worker? Rather than asking job candidates to list their soft skills, ask for examples of when they have used them in the past. For example, if you're looking for a candidate who is adaptable, you might ask them to describe a time when they had to deal with a difficult situation that was outside of their comfort zone.
So Are Traditional Interviews Still Relevant?
Assessing a candidate’s skills and qualifications are important, but there is more than one way to do this. With the advent of new technologies, there are now many options available to employers who want to get a more accurate and well-rounded picture of job applicants. Different roles may require different methods to find the best candidate, so it's important to consider what will work best for each individual job. While traditional job interviews can still be relevant when done well, they are not the only tool that can be used to assess candidates and may ultimately become just one part of a better hiring process.
