For every job opening, about 250 resumes flood in. Now, if you’re the recruiter, you’ve got to go through this mountain of applications, trying to find the perfect fit. Sounds like a tough gig, right? Out of all those resumes, only a handful—four to six—are chosen for the interview.
Moreover, the whole interview process? It’s like a marathon, taking an average of 23 days from start to finish.
Considering this, recruiters are turning to some pretty great ways to make their lives easier and find the best candidates out there. This blog talks about next-level interview techniques that are changing the game.
What Are Innovative Job Interview Techniques?
You know how job interviews usually go, right? It’s all about asking questions, checking qualifications, and seeing if the candidate fits the bill. But here’s where things get interesting: new-age job interview techniques throw out the rulebook and get creative. Instead of sticking to the same old routine, employers are modifying their interview methods.
They’re using all sorts of new methods to assess candidates, like interactive exercises, simulations, and even games! Now, it’s all about seeing how candidates tackle real-life challenges or work together in group discussions.
The result? Some engagement in the interview room while still getting a good read on the candidate’s skills and personality.
What Are the Benefits of Innovative Job Interview Techniques?
The newer job interview techniques, such as virtual reality, gamification, video interviews, and predictive hiring, offer numerous benefits:
- Immersive and interactive methods create a memorable and engaging experience for candidates.
- Streamlined processes save time and resources for both recruiters and candidates.
- Advanced technologies provide more accurate insights into candidates’ skills, behaviors, and cultural fit.
- Virtual platforms enable access to a wider pool of candidates, regardless of location.
- Data-driven approaches offer predictive analytics to forecast candidates’ performance and potential success in the role.
5 Key Innovative Job Interview Techniques
Check out these new ways companies are interviewing people. They’re thinking outside the box to see who’s got what it takes for the job:
1. Virtual Reality
https://twitter.com/PawelSynapse/status/1708837767365505350?t=EeHg0tGJL4-IenjZyxwq4A&s=19
Lots of big companies like Deloitte, PwC, Toyota, and more are jumping on the VR interview scene. With VR, interviewers can give candidates a glimpse into their corporate culture while also checking out their skills. Plus, it’s a fun experience for the candidates!
Here’s the kicker: the AI in VR tech actually analyzes things like personality traits, mood, and facial expressions during the interview. Then, it picks out the best matches and sends a report to the recruiter. The best part? Candidates can take the interview whenever they want, and recruiters can review it whenever they have the time.
2. Looking for Patterns
Ever heard of top-grading? It’s an innovative interview method where instead of just asking about what candidates did in their past jobs, you dig deep into why they did it. Basically, you’re looking for patterns in their behavior over time.
So, you ask them detailed questions about their successes, failures, decisions, and key relationships in every job they’ve had, starting from the beginning. It’s like exploring their career story to understand how they think and act in different situations.
3. Predictive Hiring Technology
Big players like IBM, Hilton, and Unilever are all about using behavioral assessments to really understand their candidates. These assessments give employers a crystal-clear view of candidates’ soft skills—things like teamwork and flexibility—that can make all the difference in the workplace.
With just a simple survey, employers can gauge these crucial skills and even compare them to the benchmark for top-notch employees. When you can tap into your candidate’s strengths and weaknesses early on, you can go into interviews armed with all the info you need to make smart hiring decisions.
4. Gamification and Job Audition (Simulation)
Big names like Google, Deloitte, and Whirlpool are using gamification in their recruitment process. So, what’s gamification? It’s like bringing game elements into non-game situations—like job interviews! This adds a fun twist and a bit of healthy competition to the process.
Picture this: Candidates earn points or badges or even climb leaderboards as they progress through different challenges. It’s like turning the interview into a game but with real stakes!
Another cool technique is job auditioning, also known as job simulation. Instead of just talking about their skills, candidates actually get to show what they can do by completing tasks related to the job they’re applying for. It’s way more hands-on and gives a better sense of what the job is really like.
5. Video Interviews
Did you know that about 60% of job recruiters now use video technology to interview candidates from afar?
Here’s the thing: video interviews bring a whole new level of familiarity and warmth compared to phone calls. It’s like having a face-to-face conversation, even if you’re miles apart.
Recorded interviews, typically lasting 15-20 minutes, are perfect for nervous or introverted candidates who thrive better without the pressure of a live interview. For passive candidates, they can record themselves whenever it suits them best. Furthermore, you can breeze through dozens of videos in just a few hours, saving time and effort.
How to Find an Effective Interview Technique for Your Organization?
Not every candidate is going to land the job, but guess what? Every interview is a chance to level up your interviewing game. So, let’s talk about finding the perfect interview technique for your organization:
Step 1: Define the Job Requirements
Before diving into interviews, you must have a clear picture of what you’re looking for in a candidate. Think skills, experience, and qualities—everything that makes someone perfect for the job.
For example, if you’re hiring a customer service rep, you’d want someone with excellent communication skills, previous experience in handling customer inquiries, and a friendly attitude.
So, when it’s interview time, you can tailor your questions to really dig into whether the candidate has what it takes to succeed in the position. It’s like setting yourself up for success from the get-go!
Step 2: Develop Structured Interview Questions
You want to come up with questions that dig deep into candidates’ past experiences and behaviors—stuff that’s totally relevant to the job they’re gunning for. That means, instead of asking generic questions, you want to get specific.
For example, if you’re hiring for a customer service role, you might ask something like, “Can you tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult customer? How did you handle it?”
This way, you’re getting real-life examples of how candidates have handled similar situations in the past. Plus, using structured questions keeps things consistent across all candidates, so you can compare apples to apples when it comes to evaluating them.
Step 3: Conduct Mock Interviews
Ever tried practicing interviews with your coworkers or using pretend scenarios? This way, you can fine-tune your interviewing skills and nail down how to gauge candidate responses.
For example, you could team up with a colleague and take turns being the interviewer and interviewee. You could also use role-playing scenarios to simulate different interview situations.
Step 4: Hold Post-Interview Roundtables
After each interview, you gather your team around for a chat, like a roundtable discussion. Here’s the drill: ask everyone why they think the candidate should or shouldn’t get the job. Get into the nitty-gritty and find out which interview questions hit the mark and which ones fell flat. And don’t forget to brainstorm ways to make the whole interview process even better next time around.
For example, if you just finished interviewing someone for a customer service role, sit down and talk about how they handled those tough customer scenario questions. Maybe someone noticed they had a knack for diffusing tricky situations, while another team member thought they stumbled a bit on explaining technical solutions. This way, you can understand different perspectives and fine-tune your approach for next time.
Conclusion
Innovative job interview techniques think outside the box. Whether it’s using VR to give candidates a taste of the company culture or gamifying the interview process for a bit of fun, the goal is to find the perfect fit.
And the benefits? From engaging candidates in immersive experiences to saving time and resources for both recruiters and candidates, these new techniques are changing the game. It’s an exciting time to be in the world of recruitment, and with these amazing techniques, the sky’s the limit!
