Beth Stubbings http://www.newbusiness.co.uk 2m 544
The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
The recruitment process is changing. What used to be a tedious, repetitive process, has now become something filled with creativity. Not only are businesses getting bored with traditional recruitment ways, applicants are looking for fun and engaging places to work.
Sifting through CVs that contain similar information requires plenty of patience as it is often time consuming. Finding those suitable for the job is increasingly difficult as the economic market changes. So, whether you are looking for a change in the way you recruit or whether you are starting a new business this year, it is important to have an energetic recruitment process.
Group Interviews
Many businesses are now using group interviews to sift through candidates that all look the same on paper. Group interviews are valuable in the hunt for temporary recruitment for a busy season, or even if you’re looking to hire permanent staff, and allows your business to find the best staff for your company. It may seem like a lot of work, but realistically, it can offer a change to a tedious hiring process and many businesses find it reduces the time recruitment takes. For instance, from one interview, you could hire three or four candidates from a group of twelve.
Many recruiters find that group interviews allow you to pick out individual candidates and game players that have the potential to make your business soar. Group interviews also help you see not only how candidates interact with the interviewer, but also how they interact with each other, which is great as good interaction is a vital component to a productive and happy workplace. It also allows you to promote a clear idea of what your business is about and how it functions.
Stay Focused on the Individual
Group interviews do not completely discredit individual interviews, and the two often work well together. It is often suitable to take candidates that were successful from the group interview through to the individual stage, where you can ask them what they thought of the process, and how they felt they did, who they thought succeeded and it gives them a chance to ask further questions.
Set the Date
It is important, especially if you are starting a new business, to be clear about your interview dates and what style of interview you offer. Being clear with applicants early on will make candidates view your company more favourably than other businesses they have applied to work for. When interviewing, make sure you alternate on the days of the week- don’t let the perfect candidate slip past you because they have a prior commitment.
Make it Fun!
To make interviewing more interesting, add some fun activities that promote team work. Many companies are now using children’s toys to gage how candidates interact with each other, such as using building blocks to make a ‘dream house’, or have them create a poster for a company event. Picking activities that seem silly on the surface relaxes candidates and as an observer, you can immediately pick out team leaders, team players and those quieter members of the group that work well under direction.
Beth Stubbings works for New Business. She thinks that changing your recruitment process can lead to a better calibre of employees.
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