Bullfinch Recruitment’s Post

Great to see John Lewis & Partners showing transparency and creating inclusive experiences At CareScribe, we share interview questions with candidates in advance of their interview. We do this for multiple reasons: 💡 Providing questions beforehand allows candidates to thoroughly prepare their responses. This ensures that they can showcase their skills, experience, and qualifications more effectively during the interview 💡 Knowing what to expect can alleviate some of the stress and anxiety associated with interviews. Candidates can approach the interview with greater confidence and composure when they have had time to think through their responses 💡 It ensures that everyone has equal opportunity to prepare, regardless of their background or previous exposure to similar interview situations 💡 Candidates can take the time to craft thoughtful and well-structured responses when they have the questions beforehand. This can lead to more meaningful discussions during the interview and provide deeper insights into the candidate's capabilities 💡 Demonstrates transparency and respect for the candidate's time and effort. It shows that we value open communication and want to create a positive interview experience 💡 It can lead to more engaging and productive interviews. As the interviewer, you can delve deeper into specific topics 💡 Neurodivergent individuals may have differences in processing information, such as longer processing times or difficulty with spontaneous responses. Having access to interview questions beforehand gives them the opportunity to process and formulate their responses in a way that suits their cognitive style Ultimately, providing interview questions in advance contributes to a positive candidate experience. I don't see it as an unfair advantage at all, but a chance to have a good quality interview rather than stressed candidates who may not provide the best insight to their skills in a traditional interview set up. We're fans!

My pre-interview candidate prep steps: There's plenty of advice that exists for job seekers about acing interviews and crafting standout CVs (take a peek at my latest project for more insights: https://lnkd.in/gHgkgMb3) So, I believe it's worth showing what happens on the other side. How I get ready for interviews and why it's super important for both sides - recruiters and candidates. This kind of preparation really makes a difference for the business and how we hire. For every 30-minute interview slot, I dedicate a similar amount of time to prepare. This ensures I'm as invested in the process as the candidate. -LinkedIn and CV’s insight: a deep dive into the candidate’s LinkedIn profile, reviews and posts helps me to ensure a holistic view, understand their career trajectory and public persona. -Research works: I explore any publications or articles authored by the candidate, gaining insights into their expertise and thought leadership. -Role success criteria: understanding what success looks like for the role is crucial to align my questions and evaluation. -Targeted questions: crafting questions that target these insights directly allows for a more meaningful conversation. -Critical insights: I identify 2-3 key insights I aim to gain during the interview, keeping my objectives clear and focused. -Team collaboration: sharing my interview plan with the team ensures we’re all on the same page and can collaborate effectively post-interview. Why am I doing this? Because this prep crucially benefits our business and hiring by: -Boosting interview quality: makes interviews productive, improving candidate evaluations. -Showing professionalism: a ready recruiter boosts the company's image and attracts candidates. -Better hiring choices: understanding roles and backgrounds aids in smarter hiring, minimizing mismatches. -Saving time: streamlined interviews identify fit faster, benefiting everyone involved. -Enhancing reputation: positive interview experiences improve our employer brand, drawing more applicants. How do you get ready for an interview? (no matter which side of the table you're on).

DEI Recruitment Series Implement Structured Interviews: Structured interviews involve asking all candidates the same set of predetermined questions and evaluating their responses using standardized criteria. This approach helps ensure consistency and fairness in the evaluation process by focusing on job-related competencies and qualifications. By using structured interviews, organizations can minimize the influence of individual biases and ensure that all candidates are evaluated based on the same criteria. Additionally, providing interviewers with training on conducting structured interviews can further enhance the reliability and validity of the evaluation process. Utilize Diverse Interview Panels: Diverse interview panels consist of individuals from different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. By including diverse interviewers on hiring panels, organizations can reduce the impact of biases and ensure that multiple perspectives are considered during the evaluation process. Diverse interview panels can help identify potential biases, challenge assumptions, and promote inclusive decision-making. Additionally, having diverse interviewers can signal to candidates that the organization values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive workplace culture. Standardize Evaluation Criteria: Standardizing evaluation criteria involves establishing clear and objective criteria for assessing candidates' qualifications and suitability for the role. This may include defining key competencies, skills, and behaviors required for success in the position and developing rating scales or rubrics for evaluating candidates' responses. By standardizing evaluation criteria, organizations can ensure consistency and fairness in the evaluation process and minimize the influence of subjective judgments or biases. Additionally, providing interviewers with training on using evaluation criteria effectively can help improve the reliability and validity of their assessments. In summary, equitable interview processes involve implementing structured interviews, utilizing diverse interview panels, and standardizing evaluation criteria to ensure fairness and inclusivity in the hiring process. By adopting these practices, organizations can create a more objective and equitable evaluation process that promotes diversity and inclusion in recruitment. #EquitableHiring #Recruitment #DEI 🤝

Unlocking Interview Success: A Recruiter’s Guide to Preparing Candidates In the world of recruitment, the magic begins with the recruiter-candidate dialogue. Learn below how recruiters can empower candidates to shine during interviews. 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲: Get to know your candidate's unique narrative, professional journey, strengths, and aspirations to effectively prep them for interviews. 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Tailor your guidance to the specific role and company culture, values, and expectations. 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: Encourage candidates to share their career achievements and help them understand how they align with the role they're interviewing for. 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞: Role-playing is a powerful tool. Conduct mock interviews to help candidates build confidence, refine their answers, and anticipate potential questions. 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: Emphasise the significance of cultural fit. A candidate who aligns with the company culture is more likely to thrive. Discuss ways to demonstrate alignment during the interview. 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲: Every candidate has weaknesses. Help them frame these as opportunities for growth and approach them honestly and positively. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡: Encourage candidates to research the company thoroughly to set them apart. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬: Companies often hire based on alignment with their values. Guide candidates on how to align their responses with the company's core values. 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬: While technical skills matter, soft skills like communication, teamwork, and adaptability are equally powerful. Share strategies for showcasing these skills. 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫: Discuss the significance of thoughtful questioning. Candidates who inquire about the role, team dynamics, and company direction demonstrate genuine interest. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞: Advise candidates to plan their logistics ahead of time, to be punctual and well-rested. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐊𝐞𝐲: Remind candidates that interviews are as much about assessing the company as being assessed. Confidence in their abilities can make a world of difference. 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤: Constructive feedback post-interview fosters growth. Discuss what went well and areas for improvement. As recruiters we don’t just match skills; we nurture careers. Empowering our candidates with knowledge, support, and confidence, paves the way to success. Anything else you would recommend? —------------------------------------------------   Did you like this post? Connect or follow me!    #everythingaboutrecruitment #recruitment #recruiters #recruitmenttraining

🧐 Crafting a Unified Candidate Evaluation System: A Guide for Interview Teams 📝 Continuing on my posts on creating great interviews, here is some insights in an area a lot of people always fail on, evaluating candidates Evaluating candidates during interviews is an art, and for this masterpiece, a structured approach is essential. One key aspect is creating a unified rating criteria that’s clearly defined and shared across the interview team. Here’s how to achieve it: 1️⃣ Define the Rating Criteria: Start by defining what you’re assessing. Consider the essential skills, competencies, and qualities required for the role. Are you looking for technical prowess, leadership, problem-solving abilities, or cultural fit? Define these criteria clearly. 2️⃣ Scale for Evaluation: Create a standardized rating scale, often on a numerical or categorical basis. For example, you could use a scale of 1-5, with 1 being “Poor Fit” and 5 being “Exceptional Fit.” Ensure everyone understands this scale. 3️⃣ Behavioral Anchors: Provide behavioral anchors for each level of the scale. For instance, what does a “3” on your scale mean in terms of skills or cultural alignment? These anchors align the team’s understanding. 4️⃣ Training and Calibration: Ensure all interviewers are trained on this rating system. Hold calibration sessions where interviewers discuss and align their interpretations of the criteria and rating scale. This minimizes biases and discrepancies. 5️⃣ Scenario-based Questions: Create scenario-based questions that directly relate to the defined criteria. This ensures that every candidate’s responses are evaluated consistently. 6️⃣ Document Feedback: During interviews, interviewers should document specific examples and observations that support their ratings. This documentation helps in objective assessments. 7️⃣ Feedback Loop: After each interview, interviewers should meet to discuss their assessments. This collaborative feedback loop helps align perspectives and narrows down the ratings. 8️⃣ Final Evaluation: When all interview rounds are completed, compile feedback from each interviewer. Discuss the overall impressions, compare notes, and arrive at a unified assessment. 9️⃣ Continuous Improvement: Regularly review and refine your rating criteria and scale. The hiring landscape evolves, and so should your evaluation system. A unified rating criteria not only ensures fairness but also enables a comprehensive evaluation. It aligns the interview team’s understanding of what constitutes a great fit for your organization. Remember, the goal is not just to hire talent but to hire talent that truly aligns with your company’s vision and values. ============== #️⃣ #interviewingtips #talentacquisition #airingprocess #recruitment ============== ♻️ Re-share to increase awareness and engagement 🗣️ Comment with your thoughts ➕ Follow for more content 📧 DM me to connect on TA items

📊 Results of LinkedIn Poll: Assessing Candidates During Interviews Last week, I explored a crucial aspect of hiring by conducting a LinkedIn poll to gauge how quickly interviewers assess candidate suitability. A big thank you to everyone who participated. Here's what I found: To the question: How quickly can you typically assess if a candidate is a good fit for the job during an interview? The answers are: - Within the First 10 Minutes: 52% - 20-30 Minutes: 18% - Reserve Judgment Until the End: 30% The comments from the poll provide plenty of food for thought. 🤔 - Balancing Efficiency and Thoroughness: There is a need to balance efficiency with a thorough evaluation. Quick assessments are necessary, but rushing decisions could lead to biases or overlooking qualified candidates.   - The Role of Unconscious Bias: We all have biases, and there is an acknowledgement of the inevitability of forming initial impressions.  This can be counterbalanced… somewhat by maintaining an open mind throughout the interview process to mitigate biases. (easy said, maybe harder done).   - Taking Time for Deliberation: Some advocate for reserving judgment until the end or even taking a cooling-off period before making recommendations to prevent snap decisions driven by first impressions. Thank you, John Reagan. ✨ Key Takeaways: - Awareness of Bias: It's essential to acknowledge and mitigate unconscious biases in the hiring process.   - Balanced Evaluation: Aim for a balanced approach that combines efficiency with thoroughness, allowing for quick assessments while giving candidates ample opportunity to demonstrate their qualifications.   - Considered Decisions: Avoid rushing to judgment based solely on initial impressions, opting instead for deliberation and reflection before making hiring recommendations.  Unless, of course, they attend the interview with an axe in hand… virtual interview, hopefully. Thanks to everyone who participated. Let's keep refining our approaches to hiring for more equitable and effective recruitment processes. 👍🏽 😉

Top talent doesn't have the patience or time for endless interviews, personality assessments, and technical tests. Here are a few considerations for companies looking to attract and retain top talent without exhausting them with endless interviews: Streamline the Process: Condense the interview process to eliminate unnecessary rounds. Focus on a few crucial interviews that provide a comprehensive assessment of the candidate's skills, culture fit, and potential contributions. Initial Screening: Use initial screenings or assessments to quickly gauge a candidate's basic qualifications and skills. This can help filter out candidates who don't meet the minimum requirements and save everyone's time. Competency-Based Interviews: Design interviews around the specific competencies required for the role. This helps evaluate the candidate's capabilities in key areas without going through generic questions. Technical Assessments: For technical roles, consider using practical tests or coding challenges as part of the interview process. This can provide a clearer understanding of a candidate's technical skills. Transparent Communication: Clearly communicate the interview process to candidates from the beginning. Let them know the expected duration, stages, and what will be evaluated in each round. Panel Interviews: Conduct panel interviews where multiple team members interview the candidate simultaneously. This way, the candidate doesn't need to repeat the same answers to multiple interviewers. Feedback and Follow-up: After each interview round, provide prompt and constructive feedback. This helps candidates understand their strengths and areas for improvement, and it reflects positively on your company's professionalism. Offer Flexibility: Recognize that top talent might have other opportunities and commitments. Offer flexible interview timings, including outside regular working hours if necessary. Showcase Your Company's Value: Highlight your company's unique value proposition, growth opportunities, and company culture early in the process. This can make top candidates more interested in investing time with your organization. In short, the goal is to create an efficient yet thorough interview process that respects the time and expertise of top talent. This not only helps in attracting them but also contributes to a positive candidate experience, which can have a lasting impact on your employer brand. ttg Talent SolutionsLeo GuevaraLesly A.Luiz GuardaminoAdrian GuevaraChristopher Columbus High SchoolFIU AlumniNova Southeastern University Alumni AssociationIsilio MeleanCarolina Maya PalacioArturo C Guevara

Should You Be Conducting Group Interviews? Group interviews have become increasingly popular among employers as an effective method to identify top candidates for various positions. These interviews involve gathering multiple candidates in one session, which allows recruiters to observe their interpersonal and communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and how they perform under pressure. In this article, we will discuss the benefits and challenges of group interviews, along with best practices for success, including interview topics to cover. Benefits of Group Interviews: Efficient use of time: Group interviews enable employers to assess multiple candidates in a single session, saving valuable time and resources compared to individual interviews. Assessing teamwork skills: By observing candidates in a group setting, employers can identify those who work well in teams, collaborate effectively, and display strong leadership qualities. Competitive environment: Group interviews foster a competitive atmosphere, allowing employers to gauge how candidates perform under pressure and how they handle challenges. Opportunity to observe interpersonal skills: As candidates interact with each other and the interviewers, employers can evaluate their communication skills, conflict resolution abilities, and overall demeanor. Challenges of Group Interviews: Limited personal interaction: Group interviews may not allow for in-depth, one-on-one interactions with candidates, potentially making it difficult for employers to assess individual personalities and qualifications. Dominant personalities: In group settings, some candidates may dominate the conversation, while others may struggle to make their voices heard. This can make it challenging for employers to evaluate each candidate fairly. Inability to probe deeper: The group format may not provide opportunities for interviewers to ask follow-up questions or explore specific topics in greater detail.

Sending questions out to interviewees prior to interview is not going to diminish the quality, accuracy or integrity of an individual's answers. And why would being able to consider in advance the language, examples and tone you want to use be a negative thing? Especially if you have communication differences? This isn't performative or rehearsed, it's allows a person to accurately demonstrate 'their personality and day-to-day working style', minus the anxiety, overwhelm, and potentially disabling impact, of a 'blind' interview. It levels the playing field, bringing them up to a level of confidence that those folks who are comfortable with interviews without prior questions already feel. Interviews should NOT be a test of who is the best at handling awkward social situations and blagging a half decent answer under pressure (for most jobs at least!) Surely this is even more the case in the third sector, which thrives on the passion and ingenuity of honest, passionate people and their unique personalities. And as for accessibility... if you genuinely think that you are giving neurodivergent and other folks an 'unfair advantage' by sharing the questions in advance, then they probably don't want to work for you anyway! 🙄 Please stop making 'articles' out of so called 'benefits and challenges' CharityJob (which you yourselves say there's been no research on!) when all it does is bolster exclusive thinking that limits the options of our amazing sector and discriminates against those who refuse to fit the old boxes.