.png)
How can we be exhaustive in our interviewing, without being exhausting?
When it comes to building a team, we all want to be sure that every hire is the right one.
No one wants the time, expense, stress or mess of managing someone who isn't the right fit. It creates a blot on a CV, delays work, and damages team morale. I've even seen managers go off sick with the stress of it all. That is why I can understand employers wanting a thorough selection process.
But thorough doesn’t have to mean needlessly interrogative.
I've spoken to studios with seven-stage interview processes. One even required candidates to meet 23 people, each with veto power.
I have to question, do all those people deserve a veto? Are they appropriately trained to form a fair judgment? What if they're hangry? In the wise words of Snickers, "You're not you when you're hungry."
Interviewing is its own skill. You can be brilliant at your job and still find interviews nerve-wracking and unnatural. That doesn’t mean you wouldn’t excel in the role.
In Skillsearch's 2024/2025 Salary and Satisfaction Report, "lengthy interview process" was the 3rd most frustrating issue for candidates.
For talent in high demand, an over-zealous interview process can mean losing your ideal hire to another employer that has streamlined and optimised their hiring.
Add to that, as an industry matures and moves towards contracting rather than employing (Hey there, video games industry 👋), are your processes fit for the quicker turnaround expected by contractors? You're not committing to them as much, so while vetting still needs to happen, the bar must be lower. That's just how contracting works, but I'm seeing signs that processes are slow to adjust.
So what to do...?
Aim for a shorter process that's refined so that every aspect of the Personal Specification is covered at least once in the process.
Start with the Personal Specification
Can everything on your shopping list for the person you're looking for be justified? If not, cut it. Make sure everyone is in agreement about what should and shouldn't be on the list, before you even post a job ad. If every stakeholder has agreed on the brief, then leave the actual interviewing to a few trained individuals. The art of delegation will save you time and stress.
This will give you a map for building your selection process. What questions and tests will you need to tick off everything on that job spec, and what does a good answer sound like?
Is everyone briefed?
Now you've got your map, time to train for the journey! Your interviewers and test scorers should understand how the scores they're giving relate to the job spec, and why. They should also be trained in the art of interviewing. What to say, what not to say. What not to do. And how to avoid unconscious bias.
If you've got 23 interviewers (which you shouldn't, but if you do), imagine how many opportunities there are for them to say the wrong thing to a candidate - interviewing goes both ways!
Tests
Although "Too many tests" is number 5 for most frustrating things in a recruitment process, a test has its place.
Again, let's not aim for something overly long, you're asking people to work for free after all. Unless you're the rare employer prepared to pay for someone to do a test (bravo if you are!🙌)
With a test, the closer you can get to the work someone will actually be doing, the more reliable the results. Tests are more likely to show you how someone will actually perform, particularly on the tasks or technical aspects of a role, over a set of interview questions.
Make the most of the probationary period
The goal here isn't hire and fire, churning through people and their self-esteem, but at some point, you need to bite the bullet and see what they're actually like to work with. There's an argument to do this sooner rather than later, and make the most of their probationary period if, with support and feedback, they're not responding and it's time to part ways. Consider probationary periods the ultimate test.
Interviewing well isn’t about finding out who is the most pleasing pick for the majority; it’s about who can do the job, thrive in your culture, and grow with your team. Let’s design processes that help us see that, without making everyone miserable along the way.
