In 2018, the average time to hire for retail and hospitality industries ranged from 25–46 days. With company teams adapting to furloughed workers, less manpower, and fewer talent acquisition and hiring managers completing HR teams’ day-to-day requirements, it is challenging to keep up. From internal meetings to candidate interviews, all of the necessary communication methods are stretching HR teams thin. Not to mention being remote adds its own level of difficulty communicating.
With increased meeting cadences needed for internal check-ins and updates, there is less time and fewer people for conducting interviews and getting to know candidates. Yet, there is a way hiring teams can optimize their interview process without missing out on crucial details—with just one interview.
The one-and-done interview tactic breaks the status quo of recruiting and hiring methods and is pretty self-explanatory, as candidates partake in only one interview. With limited time and resources available for hiring teams, leveraging this new process can help HR teams optimize their hiring processes and get down to businesses when it comes to finding that perfect potential employee.
To accomplish the one-and-done interview, there are three steps to follow in the hiring process so teams can cut the fluff and get straight to the point:
1. Friendly Phone Screening
A phone screen should still be the first step in the interview process, no matter the company or position. Phone screens not only help narrow down the pool of applicants but also can provide the necessary information for both hiring teams and candidates so everyone feels comfortable moving on to the next step in the hiring process.
When scheduling the phone screen, it is best to leave the conversation unplanned. The unstructured approach seems counterproductive, but it can help hiring teams get to know each candidate quickly, as it provides the opportunity to take the conversation where they want.
Open-ended questions keep things interesting and allow for interpretation of what the candidate thinks is important to mention, helping get to those deeper conversations quicker and skip over the information you can already find on the person’s résumé.
2. Try The ‘One-And-Done’ Approach
The next step when interviewing candidates is the one-and-done approach. This means one interview and then moving on to the rest of the hiring process. As time and resources are limited, hiring teams can’t spend the same amount of time on interviews as they used to. Instead, the one-and-done approach is a great way for HR departments to get to know a potential employee without straining their teams with meeting after meeting. But how does this approach work?
Using the unstructured phone screen to gather necessary information about candidates, hiring teams can skip over the surface-level conversations and dive straight into deeper conversations surrounding the information that still needs to be discussed. Take this time to not only learn more about the candidate but also explain your company and employee experience. As all hiring goes, it is a mutual decision between company and candidate.
With the one-and-done approach, efficiency is key, and one way hiring managers can keep the processes moving is by limiting the number of people in the interview process. Not only does this take the pressure off both you and the candidate, but it also prevents you from running into scheduling conflicts with multiple employees on one call.
If multiple current employees do need to be involved in the interview process, try staggering who is in the interview and when. This can ensure every minute counts and won’t overwhelm the potential employee. After the interview, use tools like online scorecards to keep track of each candidate and open the lines of internal communication. This way, those involved can write down their thoughts while limiting the number of meetings used for discussion.
3. The Pilot Project of Champions
After the phone screen and one-and-done interview, top candidates should be identified and ready for the final step in the hiring process: the pilot project. This part of the process helps determine the best of the best. Because each candidate had the chance to talk the talk, each now will have the chance to walk the walk, showing what he or she can do in real time with your company.
Use this opportunity to gauge candidates’ abilities by assigning pilot projects in their respective role. This gives them the chance to show their skill sets and work one-on-one with potential team members and gives them the opportunity to see what it is truly like working for your company. All of these factors play an important role in the final decision, and at the end of the day, everyone should be on the same page moving forward.
With today’s environment of remote working and hiring, the necessary processes should be adapted to fit the needs of both HR teams and job applicants. For HR departments, time and resources are scarce, so having an efficient and effective approach to hiring can keep companies moving forward.
Incorporating automated tools and processes like applicant tracking systems (ATS) can streamline operations in order to keep the focus on the candidates without straining hiring teams and their hiring efforts, ultimately giving time and resources back to HR departments while helping the candidate experience stand out.
Nina Cofer is a product marketing manager at Breezy HR, an ATS based in Jacksonville, Florida. Cofer’s entrepreneurial spirit, creative mind, and artistic talent have given her more than a decade of experience working in marketing, pay-per-click advertising, Web and graphic design, and search engine optimization.
Breezy HR is a recruiting platform and an ATS that believes hiring doesn’t have to be messy. With customers around the world, Breezy has thrown out the traditional hiring model and replaced it with a set of tools that engage hiring teams, manage day-to-day chaos, and ensure teams continue to attract and hire great employees with less effort.