01 Jan 2017 4 Tips to Improve Your Interview Process

On November 23, BC Tech hosted our first Recruiter in Residence Workshop. In partnership with Creative Technology Resources, the workshop centered around the theme of implementing a bulletproof interview process for tech hires.

This was the first in a series of three scheduled workshops. The next one, taking place January 11, is focused on how to source passive talent.

12 people were in attendance from 8 BC-based technology companies that ranged in size from two employees to roughly 500. No matter the size or stage of the organization, each faced their own unique hiring and recruiting challenges, including how to shorten the recruiting process and improve the candidate experience.

Many of these challenges stem from the current tech talent shortage in BC. According to the TechTalentBC Report 2016, the lack of available mid- and- senior-level talent was identified as a pressing recruitment challenge for over 60% of BC’s tech companies.

Nathalie and David, Co-Founders of Creative Technology Resources and facilitators of the workshop, addressed these challenges with a brief presentation followed by a roundtable discussion and Q&A. Attendees left with actionable insights into how to improve their interview processes.

“The recruiter workshop put on by BC Tech was extremely informative for companies young in the tech recruitment game,” says Adam Briglio, recruiter at iQMetrix. “The values taught are great takeaways for any team looking to ramp up their staffing strategy.”

“Natalie and David are a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the tech industry,” says Jessica Raj, Talent Acquisition Specialist at BBTV. “We gained insight into the future of recruitment and discussed how important it is to foster a positive candidate experience from phone screen to offer. Each candidate is an extension of your employer brand since the tech community is so tight-knit in Vancouver.”

Weren’t able to make the workshop but curious about how to improve your recruiting processes? Join us on January 11, to learn how to source passive tech hires.

In the meantime, check out the top four takeaways from the last workshop:

1. Always consider the candidate experience

“When it comes to hiring tech talent, often those first 48 hours after an interview are critical,” say Nathalie and David. Qualified technology job seekers may be in conversation with several other companies, and recruiters don’t have the luxury of waiting.

Speed up the hiring process wherever possible, but remember that speed isn’t the only metric by which you should be measuring your candidate experience.

Nathalie and David emphasize that it’s important to be clear with candidates and to communicate openly. If your recruiting process is going to take weeks, set those expectations up front.

“Say what you’re going to do, and then do what you said you would do,” Nathalie advises.

“Make sure every candidate has a WOW experience with your company, whether they get hired or not,” adds David.

2. Leverage your internal network

While this relates to filling your talent pipeline, it is a theme that was talked about a lot at the workshop. Your company is filled with talented, well-connected people, and creating an employee referral program can help tap that network.

“If you do create a referral program, don’t wait to thank or reward employees for bringing in new talent,” says David. “There’s no need to wait until their referral hits the 6-month or 12-month mark; reward your employees immediately. You may find the program more effective that way.”

Another way to leverage your network is to simply to make sure everyone is aware of the positions you’re hiring for, whether that’s at a company-wide meeting or over Slack.

3. Develop your employer brand 

No matter how big or small your company is, the candidate experience starts with your employer brand.

“Before you even begin the process of finessing your employer brand, though, step back and consider your recruiting philosophy,” say Nathalie and David. “Where does your recruiting strategy fit into the overall strategy of your company? Make sure you align with senior leadership so that you can know how to set about creating your employer brand.”

The next steps could be to create a compelling careers page, run a series of open houses, or work with employees to tell stories of what working at your company is like.

Do what is relevant and unique to your company and fits with your overall talent strategy.

4. Align with your managers

Many recruiters face challenges when it comes to working with the managers who lead hiring on their teams. Managers may have different expectations around what values they’re looking for in a candidate, or they’re less open to on-the-job training, which means they’re expecting a candidate who is fully qualified.

Work with managers before, during, and after the interview process. Coach them on how to eliminate biases, ask effective questions, and listen actively. You can also invite a broad panel of managers from multiple teams to join in various stages of the interview process.

Now that we’ve implemented a bulletproof interview process – learn how to source passive tech talenT.

Check out: Learn more about the next Recruiter in Residence workshop.