When it came to securing an interview, the results from our participants created some interesting responses from our experts. Over half (56%) of candidates stated they were invited straight to interview, while 50% noted that their interviews lasted less than an hour. This “first contact” between employer and potential employee certainly raises some questions.
Consider that this new employee may be someone who works directly below you, impacting your performance and your department. Is an hour’s interview time truly an appropriate amount in which to gauge their skills and personality in a way that shows they can handle the role? Is such a process robust enough?
Rachael Parrott, Resourcing Partner at SEFE Marketing & Trading, suggests holding unofficial ‘professional’ and ‘social’ interviews for all potential candidates – with these dedicated to assessing aptitude and competencies, and cultural fit respectively. This two-pronged approach could, in theory, reduce the likelihood of candidates who end up being a poor fit, leading to long-term potential savings for the organisations in question.
Meanwhile, CEO of the Frank Recruitment Group, James Lloyd-Townshend, found the statistic surprising, noting that it’s a vital part of his company’s own recruitment process. James said: “As a technology recruiter, we often see candidates being asked to complete technical assessments before the interview, to help identify their competencies and shortcomings. We rarely see candidates invited to interview on the strength of their CV alone, especially in technical roles.”
Gemma, however, suggested that looking at candidates’ CVs is, in fact, a method of pre-screening. Commenting, she said: “They’ve been chosen to meet their potential employer, which suggests that they have been measured against specific selection criteria – and considered to be a viable candidate.” For Gemma, the pre-screening process is more than online quizzes and DBS checks: “It begins from the first CV-sift and continues behind the scenes until a job offer is ultimately made.”
The data also showed that 84% of job seekers find a new role within the first six months of their job search, while 49% of our participants stated they find one in the first three months of looking.
In terms of being asked to interview, 95% of our participants attend fewer than 5 before securing a new role, with only 5% attending six or more. The relatively short space of time it takes job seekers to find a new role, as these results suggest, is perhaps indicative of the job market being fairly open. Candidates see a greater deal of overall mobility right now, while the larger number of participants attending fewer interviews suggests a much more proactive approach in securing the roles they want.
