The benefits of interviewer training.

Have you ever been to an interview that felt rushed, unplanned, and without any structure?

It’s more than likely the answer is yes.

Over the last 50 years or so, job interviews have followed the same format. Despite advances in both technology and greater industry understanding of candidate expectations, it took a global pandemic to change the way job interviews were conducted.

We know that securing the right talent is critical for business growth. Both in terms of workforce numbers and innovation, talent acquisition is the linchpin of profit and sustainability. And when it comes to employing A Players, candidate experience is key.

IBM reported that candidates who have a positive experience during the interview stage are 38% more likely to accept a job offer. Job interviews are as much about assessing an applicant’s suitability, as it is for them to gauge whether the role and company are the right fit.

The interview process.

Depending on the size and structure of an organisation the interview process can be lengthy. It could also be carried out across many different mediums and involve many different decision-makers. This melting pot can create a process that is splintered and disjointed. Each point of contact a candidate will have is likely to take a different approach, have different techniques, and have different levels of commitment to the process.

It’s easy to see how candidate experience could fall by the way side.

The benefits of interviewer training.

Here are just some of the ways in which clear, consistent, and quality interviewer training will increase the likelihood of wowing your candidates.

Everyone in the process is united in their approach.
Questions can be standardised. This ensures that the most suitable candidate is offered the job.
Candidates can be assessed quickly, objectively, and by each interviewer equally.
Best practice techniques are used throughout the process to increase candidate engagement.
Your pool of qualified interviewers increases and speeds up hiring timescales in the event of sickness, annual leave, or where you may need a second opinion.

Here is a deep dive into a few of the more significant advantages of training your interviewers.

Candidate experience.

PWC reports that almost 50% of candidates will turn down a job offer after having a negative recruiting experience. Interviews are a minefield if they’re not handled with care and professionalism. In the world of job review sites and social media, it’s easy to see how just one poor experience can be shared and seen by thousands.

Interviewer training can improve the candidate experience by offering consistency and structure. Trained interviewers understand how best to structure an interview so that candidates can be both challenged and present their best selves.

Trained interviewers can also offer better communication and constructive feedback. Feedback is a critical component of candidate experience and being able to offer actionable points of improvement will be welcomed. According to Talent Board, 81% of candidates who received feedback said they would share their positive experience with friends/families.

Secure top talent.

As a business leader, ROI is a key KPI. Interviewer training delivers on this! Glassdoor revealed that when organisations create a strong candidate experience, they improve their quality of hires by 70%.

Interview training teaches recruiters and hiring managers how to conduct structured interviews and evaluate answers effectively. This knowledge guides accurate decision making. Being able to distinguish “Good” answers from “Great” answers increases the chances of finding high quality talent.

Reduce bias and promote diversity.

Whether conscious or unconscious, biases plague interviews. Some data points to as many as 48% of managers admitting that bias plays a part in their hiring decisions.

This level of bias results in unprofessional ethical behaviour and a lack of diversity, equity, and opportunity.

With the right tools and knowledge, interviewers will understand the questions that they can and can’t ask. Interviewer training reduces the potential for bias, as well as the risks of liability, reputational damage, and losing out on quality candidates from a range of different backgrounds.

The takeaways.

It’s no secret that hiring is huge business expense. Interviewer training is cost effective. With the cost of a bad hire being as much as high as £50,000 or 30% of a person’s salary it’s critical that the hiring process works with a ‘right first time’ mentality.

The Brandon Hall Group report that 95% of organisations of all sizes make bad hires every year. Optimising the recruitment and interview processes are key parts of making sure that any money, time, and resources are not wasted.

Investing in interviewer training, will save more money and enhance your organisation.

Although this may incur a financial cost in the short term, in the long run, interviewer training will improve,