Narrowing down a pool of talented and promising candidates and choosing just one to join the company is one of the most difficult parts of a boss’ job. Hiring is a very important, yet arduous process that needs an adequate amount of time and resources budgeted for it. Also, every job’s duties and responsibilities are unique, and every workplace has a distinct culture and values. This is an especially timely topic because many local companies are expanding and looking for new offices for rent NYC.
Here are some strategies and considerations for business professionals to keep in mind as they look to hire the best person for a job at their companies.
Ditch the Traditional Interview Process
Many people are under the misconception that there’s only one right way to conduct an interview: in your office and with a mix of predictable questions and small talk. However, there are lots of different ways to approach the interview process, and more the creative ways tend to provide better insights about a candidate’s skillset and personality.
For a change of pace but to keep things simple, consider booking convenient conference rooms for rent in NYC. By removing yourself and your interviewees from your own normal place of business, you can get a better sense of how candidates act and communicate. Better yet, follow up your conference room meeting with a lunch out, because sharing a meal together reveals a lot about who a person really is. Conference rooms for rent are also useful for businesses that currently work out of home offices but that are looking to expand.
Craft Your Questions with Creativity
People have come to expect the same tried-and-true interview questions, no matter what the job is or what company it’s a part of. But why not shake things up with some curveball questions to really get to know who your candidates are?
Instead of asking the canned question of what someone’s strengths and weaknesses are, ask what type of animal the interviewee most relates to or who they might have been in a past life. Instead of asking where candidates see themselves in the next five years, ask them what qualities their friends like in them the most or what a misconception is that other people have about them.
Have Candidates Spend Time with Your Team
Not only will your newly hired employee need to get along with you, but also your entire team. Although you are wise to trust your instincts when bringing someone new onboard, getting a few other trusted team members’ opinions certainly doesn’t hurt either.
Invite promising candidates out to a lunch with several other people from your company, or simply bring them in for the questioning session part of the interview. Company culture is incredibly important for building working relationships, so you’ll want to see how your team members respond to the candidate and vice versa.
Give Promising Applicants a Small Test
Few interviewees expect to leave an interview with homework, but if candidates are really serious about the job, they won’t be scared away from a small assignment. You should make it simple and something that takes no more than about a half an hour to complete.
The assignment can relate specifically to how a candidate would approach the new position or what an individual’s professional goals would be in a new position. Or if you haven’t gotten a clear assessment of the candidate’s personality yet, you can make the assignment of a more personal nature. The process of completing and delivering even just 100 words of text will tell you a lot about how someone handles assignments, deadlines, and creativity.
Talk to Candidates’ Prior Bosses and Colleagues
It’s standard procedure to ask candidates for a list of references, but these individuals aren’t always the most unbiased sources of information. In this modern age of social media and digital sharing, chances are that you can find some insightful information by simply Googling your candidates. Perhaps they have travel blogs, unblocked social media accounts, or online newspaper articles published about them that you can peruse.
LinkedIn is also a good place to make connections with business professionals who have worked with your candidates in the past. They may or may not be willing to speak with you about your candidates’ past performance, but it’s certainly worth a try if you’re serious about approaching the hiring process in the best way possible!