Traditional, sit-down interviews are becoming increasingly rare. Instead employers are favoring more creative ways to investigate candidates’ qualifications and explore aspects of their personalities. They’re more interested in finding out how candidates solve problems, react to unexpected situations, and even whether they have a sense of humor.
Below are four alternative types of interviewing techniques. Not only will these methods help you vet your employees more effectively, but you’ll also excite your potential hires with your creative, more contemporary style, thereby attracting the most talented candidates.
Behavioral interviews
Behavioral interviews allow the candidate to demonstrate his skills and experience but also reveal particular characteristics that you might deem necessary for their role at your company. Start with small talk until the candidate seems relaxed, then start to ask questions about their past behaviors that hint at the attributes you’re looking for.
Ask what they’ve done in the past in scenarios similar to those they’re likely to experience at your company. For example, how have they handled customer complaints? Or how have they handled starting a project completely from scratch? Have they ever innovated an entirely new procedure and if so, how? If they reveal a history of demonstrating the traits you’re searching for, these might be your future employees!
Unusual questions
Since candidates have probably prepared answers to the more traditional questions, generate a list of unexpected ones to see how they respond. There might not be a right or wrong answer, but you can gain some good insight into their thought processes and observe how they think on their feet.
You might ask what type of car they’d be, which super hero they most identify with, or what the title of their biography might be. Do they demonstrate poise and creativity in these unrehearsed, unguarded moments or do they panic and stumble?
Problem-solving tasks and brainteasers
Similarly, some companies like to present challenging problems to get a feel for how potential hires use their imagination and problem-solving skills under pressure. Sometimes these are brainteasers, such as “how many golf balls fit into a 747?” and other times they’re real life problems that your company has experienced in the past and would expect this candidate to tackle if hired. Weed out the people who can’t identify the challenges and opportunities in each scenario and who don’t demonstrate their ability to be innovative and forward thinking.
Vetting social media profiles
It’s already pretty common to check out candidates’ social media pages before you decide to bring them in for an interview. The next step is to inquire about those details, particularly if there’s a discrepancy between something they present on their resumes and something you see online. Check on anything you’re hesitant about to see how they react to surprise questions.
For more methods to lock down exceptional hires to power your business, check out our website at https://culvercareers.com.
Ty Culver is the Client Development Director of CulverCareers focusing on talent acquisition and workforce solutions with a wide variety of local, national and global clients.
Ty has been working in various aspects of the industry for over 10 years and developed deep expertise in Executive Search, Executive Benefit and Talent Acquisition Programs along the way. He has a range of experience from SMB to Enterprise clients and hyper specific executive searches to high volume recruiting with companies in a dynamic state of flux.
Today, Ty leads a talented team of Talent Acquisition Specialists, Executive Recruiters and Client Success Managers at one of the most respected Recruiting Firms in the Nation, CulverCareers. While leadership is a key aspect of his role, Ty still enjoys working with clients on recruiting strategies, executive benefit solutions and workforce solutions to help clients build a holistic approach to talent acquisition and talent retention.
