For those of you who know me well, you know that I am a total nerd when it comes to interviewing. I read everything I can get my hands on about this particular topic. As an expert in the interview process for hiring employees, I was particularly struck by this Fast Company article called, “What if we killed the job interview?”
According to the author, organizations make better hiring decisions when they use artificial intelligence (AI) based tools as opposed to actual interviews, so he advocates rather strongly that we ditch interviews altogether. His main point is that hiring managers and recruiters “overestimate their ability ‘to interview and evaluate a potential candidates’ suitability for the job.’ ” In other words, their ego gets the better of them.
I agree with him completely that the ego can play a detrimental role when interviewing for new hires. In 1994, Martin Yate wrote in his book, Hiring The Best, “(Interviewing) is something that we feel we are expected to know, or that comes with experience. Couple that feeling with the average ego, and you get ‘It’s easy enough to interview; I know a good one when I see one; it’s sort of a gut feeling’.” And yet, the numbers prove otherwise. 2/3 of all hires are found to be a mistake within the year.
But does that mean we should completely stop job interviews? Not in my opinion.
The author in the Fast Company article continues, “Interviews are more useful when they are totally structured and standardized.” Exactly. Yet why don’t we do this? Structured and standardized interviews provide better data. Most employers will tell you it is because, before now, no one has ever created a structured interview process that works. I have interviewed almost 20,000 candidates using a structured interview system that I needed to create myself and with great success. Intrigued? The whole system is spelled out in my book “Why Can’t I Hire Good People?” available on Amazon.
Killing the job interview is a terrible suggestion. Improving the structure of the hiring/ interview process makes way more sense.
I ate lunch with a client at an adorable café in Denver, CO. They had listed on the menu a kale and quinoa salad that included “Market Finds”.
I asked the kind server, “What is a Market Find?”
She smiled widely and replied, “We go to the market every day to buy our ingredients. A market find is whatever we find that looks good at the market that day.” That day the market find was golden beets. YUM!
Her statement suddenly struck me as relevant to interviewing for employees. I teach my clients about the importance of an ideal candidate description, and yet, this server reminded me that we can sometimes be too rigid with our expectations.
When we are hiring for a new employee, we can make the requirements so strict that we miss what is amazing about a person and their potential contributions to our teams. Common examples that I hear for firm requirements often relate to experience levels and skill sets. There are some jobs where specific certifications, education and/or skill level are required, but often employers get hung up on a candidate having a skill set that can be easily taught.
Yes, I am an advocate for having a base line to measure for a great candidate. Be sure to also leave room for “Market Finds” which opens the door to out-of-the-box candidates. These hidden treasures can often be what life is all about, and you can’t “beet” that.
Folks, there IS no Talent War! This is a fear based myth created by someone who doesn’t like recruiting. Are there candidates who are not qualified that apply for your position? Yes. Are there people who walk into an interview and you KNOW that you wouldn’t hire them to walk you across the street? Yes. Do you have horror stories about interviewing people? Oh Gosh yes!
But then, after you have gone through the sometimes arduous interview process that feels like a war, you meet THE one! The person who comes in and owns your job like they were born to be there. The ONE who makes your job easy because they have your back and are capable and invested in their role within the organization. The single employee who within minutes makes you realize that you have a gem, and you suddenly find yourself so excited to get out there and do your REAL job!
There are 7 billion people on this earth, more people than ever in history, and you just need the one. The problem is not lack of talent, it is lack of an interview process to find that right person. Your person is out there somewhere, and they are looking for you – you just need the patience and the process to find them.
