HR teams should be looking into methods that have a better record of securing solid hires, such as structured interviews, which create a fairer and more systematic hiring process by measuring candidate responses to a consistent series of questions that are directly related to the roles in question. This filters out irrelevant information, minimizes the biases that can creep into interviews, and ultimately helps hiring managers determine which candidates will perform best on the job. It’s no surprise that a recent study in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that “structured interviews emerged as the top-ranked selection procedure.”

As the benefits of structured interviews become increasingly clear, many HR professionals are still hesitant to adopt them. This is largely due to a cloud of myths that surround structured interviews, which obscure the benefits they offer. These myths stem from several fundamental misconceptions about how structured interviews operate, as well as antiquated notions about what the hiring process should look like.

1. Structured Interviews Aren’t Worth the Effort

For decades, researchers have repeatedly demonstrated that structured interviews are highly effective at predicting candidate success and avoiding the errors that plague other hiring methods. A study in the journal Judgment and Decision Making examined why hiring managers insist on using unstructured interviews, and found that interviewers form confident conclusions about candidates even when their answers are randomly generated nonsense. The researchers also discuss the process of “dilution,” whereby valuable information is concealed amid all the irrelevant information that’s being provided. The authors’ conclusion about unstructured interviews is blunt: “Our simple recommendation for those making screening decisions is not to use them.”

Considering the well-documented benefits of structured interviews and the liabilities of their unstructured counterparts, HR teams have many compelling reasons for using the former and avoiding the latter.

2. HR Teams Lack the Expertise

According to Criteria’s 2022 Hiring Benchmark Report, two-thirds of hiring professionals believe structured interviews lead to better hiring decisions, but less than a quarter say they use “highly structured interviews, with standardized questions and defined rating scales.” One of the reasons HR teams have been slow to adopt fully structured interviews is their misplaced conviction that doing so is too difficult. It’s true that structured interviews require more effort than unstructured interviews – questions have to be crafted in a way that will illuminate role-specific knowledge and skills, adaptability, and any other characteristics the company wants to measure. Then questions and answers have to be properly weighted on the basis of their relevance and predictive value.

However, there are many digital resources and guides that will help HR teams build structured interviews. Once teams have a firm grasp on the concept of structured interviewing, they will be able to develop questions and approaches that suit their hiring needs.

3. Structured Interviews are Robotic and Impersonal

Perhaps the most common complaint about structured interviews is that they’re cold and inhuman, but this is a caricature. There are many ways for hiring managers to make the structured interview process welcoming and less intimidating. First, they can have a normal discussion about the company’s values and culture, as well as the role. Second, they can explain why structured interviews are valuable for the company and the candidate: they give job seekers an opportunity to showcase their abilities on an even playing field. And third, hiring managers can encourage candidates to answer questions naturally and honestly, just as they would in any other interview.

The argument that structured interviews are too mechanical doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. Aside from all the ways hiring managers can make the process more organic and comfortable, structured interviews already have an extensive record of success.

4. Candidates Dislike Structured Interviews

The quality of the candidate experience has never been more important. Criteria’s 2022 Candidate Experience Report found that many complaints about the hiring process will cause job seekers to abandon it altogether: almost one-third said they would exit the process if it was taking too long, while 53 percent would do the same if they received poor communication from the company or recruiter. While some hiring managers believe structured interviews will drive candidates away, they’re mistaken. When Google started conducting structured interviews, its hiring team reported an “uptick in candidate satisfaction in feedback scores for structured interview candidates.” Other research has found that candidates regard structured interviews as a fair method of evaluation.

Over three-quarters of employees and job seekers say a diverse workforce is an important factor in deciding where to work. When companies use structured interviews, they will show candidates that they’re taking active steps to minimize bias and discrimination – a key element of a healthy candidate experience.

5. Hiring Managers Will Resist

Criteria’s 2022 Hiring Benchmark Report found that a significant obstacle to conducting structured interviews is “getting hiring managers to comply” (cited by 40 percent of respondents). This expectation is understandable, as hiring managers are often the first to contend that structured interviews are awkward and unnatural. Company leaders and other members of the HR team can address their colleagues’ hesitation by pointing out that structured interviews will help hiring managers make better decisions. Hiring managers should also be involved in the development of rubrics and questions, which will give them a stake in the process.

The top three hurdles to implementing structured interviews are: defining the rubric for evaluating responses (47 percent), creating the interview questions (44 percent), and finding time to develop the process (44 percent). There’s no question that structured interviews require more preparation and analysis than casual conversations, but that’s why they’re far more objective and predictive than those conversations could ever be.

The post Five Myths About Structured Interviews appeared first on RecruitingDaily.

This is the main focus of a recent report based on a survey of almost 2,000 job-seekers around the world – discovering how candidates perceive the hiring and retaining process and providing insight about what they really want. 

One of the biggest finds? Job seekers prioritize flexibility above all else. When asked to rank certain job factors by order of importance, they ranked flexibility and work-life balance in the top spot, over compensation, company culture and benefits. And if an employer fails to offer flexibility, there can be consequences, one-third of candidates said they have turned down a job because it didn’t offer flexible or remote options.

After two years of working remotely, it’s clear that how and where employees work will never be the same. This is why HR teams and recruiters have to provide flexible work arrangements and ensure that candidates are aware of these options in the interview process.

When companies provide the flexibility candidates are asking for, they’ll demonstrate that they’re committed to the well-being of their employees and capable of adapting to a new era of work.

Flexibility Is the Number One Priority for Job Candidates

When the study asked candidates what they value most in a potential employer, opportunities for career advancement, better compensation, and workplace culture were near the top of the list. But the main feature candidates are looking for is “better work-life balance.”

A key element of striking this balance is providing flexibility – now that employees know what it’s like to work outside the confines of a standard office environment, they have increasingly embraced the independence offered by remote work.

According to a recent PwC survey, 63% of the employees who say their jobs can be done remotely expect their employers to offer a mix of remote and in-person work over the next year. Similarly, Gartner anticipates that 48% of employees will continue working remotely at least some of the time – up from 30% before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the inevitable headaches caused by the shift to remote work, 83% of employers say this transition was a success. In other words, companies will continue to provide remote work options, so HR teams have to make these options a priority if they want to remain competitive.

“Flexibility” is the word that appeared more than any other in the research. This doesn’t just mean HR professionals should continue to offer and refine remote work options – it also means they have to treat all candidates as individuals with their own unique concerns and priorities, and this begins with the recruitment and hiring process.

Demonstrate Your Commitment to Flexibility in the Hiring Process

Candidates abandon the hiring process for many reasons, such as salaries that don’t meet expectations, better job offers and negative reviews about a company’s culture. For one-third of candidates, the fact that a company didn’t offer remote or flexible work options was enough to drop out of the recruitment process.

This is a blaring warning to companies that still force employees into the standard nine-to-five office setting, and it should remind companies that offer flexible work options to emphasize these options in the hiring process.

One of candidates’ main reasons for giving up on the hiring process is “poor communication from the employer / recruiter” – a reason which is second only to “salary didn’t meet expectations.” While it’s clear that employees want companies to be upfront about the salaries they offer (82% say they prefer when job descriptions list salary information), they also want transparency and open communication across the board.

When hiring managers and recruiters clearly outline a company’s remote and flexible work opportunities during the recruitment process, they’ll address two major candidate priorities at once.

The survey revealed that companies are losing far too many candidates because they have a lackluster hiring process – a finding consistent with other research. For example, a 2021 survey found that over three-quarters of senior candidates say recruitment processes affect their perception of a company. This is all the more reason to have open discussions with candidates about crucial issues like flexibility.

Navigating a New Era of Work

The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed a wide array of sweeping changes in how employees work, and many of these changes are likely to be permanent. Candidates’ demands and expectations haven’t just shifted because they’ve grown accustomed to remote work and other forms of autonomy in their professional lives – they’ve also realized that they can be more selective in the jobs they accept.

Over the past few months, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that quit rates are at record highs – a sign that employees are searching for better opportunities.

A core theme of the report is candidate confidence: 79% of respondents have faith in their ability to command pay, 87% believe they will find a satisfying new job, and 84% feel they’re able to demonstrate their full potential to employers.

These are all indicators that HR policies need to stand out from the competition, and one of the best ways to do so is by providing flexible work arrangements. According to Deloitte, 94% of professionals in the U.S. say they would benefit from work flexibility, “with the top gains being less stress/improved mental health, and better integration of work and personal life.”

Companies with flexible work options have more engaged and productive workforces than their competitors, and as our Candidate Experience Report demonstrates, they’re in a stronger position to recruit top-notch employees. Although companies are still determining how they can best make the transition to flexible work, the evidence that this will have a positive long-term impact on their ability to hire and retain talent is becoming stronger every day.

The post Why Flexibility Is Vital for Hiring and Retaining Top Talent appeared first on RecruitingDaily.