There are numerous steps involved in hiring the right tech talent including developing your interview skills as a hiring manager.
First, you need to find the gaps in your team, then work with a recruitment company like ROD to track down the appropriate candidates. Once you’ve got a handful of CVs, it’s the hiring manager’s responsibility to evaluate each person in a job interview.
Unfortunately, hiring managers rarely have the chance to work on their interviewing skills. It can be difficult for even the most experienced manager to separate the data stars and technology leaders from the crowd.
Here, we’re going to look at some of the strategies your company can use to enhance your hiring manager’s interviewing skills and improve your talent acquisition process.
1. Make the Demands of the Role Clear
Relying on your gut to make hiring decisions isn’t a good idea. That’s the kind of process that leads to subconscious bias choosing your new employee, instead of a carefully-structured process. For hiring managers to make informed decisions, they need to forget their gut and base their interpretations on an in-depth knowledge of the role they’re recruiting for.
For instance, for a data analytics position, provide your hiring manager with a job description that outlines what’s required:
- Technical talent: How much experience does the candidate have with the analytics software you plan on using? Do they have experience translating metrics into useful insights?
- Values and attitude: Do the person’s individual goals align with the company culture? If your organisation values innovation and growth, how does the candidate demonstrate those values in his or her behaviour? Maybe they’ve taken recent classes in data analytics, or attended industry events?
- Soft skills: Does the candidate work well with others? Can they communicate the complexities of data science into a language that other members of your team can understand?
2. Narrow Down the Candidates with Phone Interviews
There are plenty of ways for companies to narrow down their pool of prospective candidates. First, a recruitment company like Resource on Demand will ensure you only get the CVs of people most-suited to your role. From there, you might remove anyone from the pile that doesn’t have a cover letter tailored to the position in question.
Phone interviews are also a great way to reduce the pressure on your hiring managers. Face-to-face meetings can be stressful and time-intensive. However, a twenty-minute phone conversation quickly eliminates unsuitable candidates from your talent pipeline.
Taking the time to refine your options means that your hiring manager only meets with people who embody your high standards.
3. Script Competency-Based Questions
A great way to keep hiring managers focused on the essential skills for the role, is with competency-based questions. A few scripted queries keep the interview structured.
For instance, when looking for an agile technology leader, open-ended questions like: “Tell us about a time when you used the agile methodology to accelerate your team’s performance” reveal a lot of useful information.
Alternatively, a hiring manager might look for a growth mindset in a candidate by asking them to “Talk about a time when a mistake or failure developed your skills as an employee.”
Applying a scoring method to questions can also standardise the process and narrow down your choice of candidates. For instance, hiring managers can give people a point every time they show a relevant competency in their answer, and provide double points for the critical skills on your list.
4. Focus on Delivering Positive Experiences
Competition is fierce in the technology talent space. To get your hands on the best talent, you need to offer more than just an excellent remuneration package. The best companies also provide opportunities for learning, a strong company culture, and fantastic acquisition experience.
Hiring managers can improve the interactions they have with candidates by:
- Being aware of body language: A slouched posture, crossed arms, and lack of eye contact all make your candidate feel as though they don’t have your respect. Instead, lean forward, smile and show your interest.
- Actively listening to each answer: Encourage hiring managers to take notes, or ask candidates to elaborate on their responses, to show that they’re engaged.
- Following up promptly: Everyone wants a response from their potential employer as quickly as possible, particularly those in the fast-paced tech space. Let people know when they’ll hear from you and remember to keep in touch.
Thanks,
Lee