The Candidate Experience: Interviewing in 2021

Authored By: Joey Desiderio, CLA Search Consultant – Construction & Real Estate

Interviewing. Ugh! Neither side feels particularly comfortable doing it but if you want to hire someone, it’s the only way.

Luckily, I’m here to tell you that not only can interviewing be an easy, relaxed conversation, but in today’s market, a more conversational approach to interviewing is now required. Think about it: if you have a job and you’re happy, why would you willingly sign up to be grilled by a potential employer you don’t even know? 

The candidate’s experience in the interview process weighs heavily on whether or not they accept a position. An interview that begins with the hiring manager or recruiter peppering the candidate with questions impacts how they view your business and influences their decision when/if you offer them the job.

The ideal interviews are really not interviews at all, but rather conversations about a company, an opportunity, and why someone would be good fit. The way to have a positive candidate experience while still getting the information that you need is to have a structured interview process with an agenda that you set at the start of the meeting.

My advice for a better interview? Don’t start the interview by asking them why they quit their last job. Instead, start the interview by thanking the candidate for their time and telling them that to start the meeting, you want to give them more information about the company and this specific position. Only once you accomplish this and also answer their questions should you start to ask them about their experience. This approach puts the candidate at ease in an uncomfortable situation (especially if the meeting is on video) because the burden of carrying the conversation is not on them to start. They are able to learn more about the role while also getting to know you and your company better. Additionally, there’s a good chance that by learning more, they will be more interested in the opportunity because of the time you were willing to spend making sure they understand the position. Finally, this strategy sets proper expectations with people from the outset. It very well may lead to someone removing their name from consideration, but isn’t it better to know now than to find out after their initial 2 weeks?

In summary, think about the candidate’s experience, have a game plan, and make the interview process about the candidate, not you. If you have questions or need help with your recruiting process, please reach out to one of our CLA search professionals.