Take Steps to Ensure Success in the Interview Process

Interviewee

• STAR Technique for interview success: How To Use the STAR Interview Response Technique
• CARL Framework: The CARL Technique and Using It with Your Business English Groups

Interviewer

• Effective interview skills: How to Conduct an Effective Job Interview
• Hiring the right person: 'You Have to Work Extra to Hire People': What Companies Have Been Saying About Jobs
• Interviewing ESL (English as a second language) candidates is becoming more common and can lead to finding excellent candidates, but doing so involves challenges, including how to approach an interview and what to avoid. Idiomatic phrases, slang, or jargon should be avoided. In addition it may be necessary to rephrase and restate questions. Restating a question doesn't necessarily indicate that the candidate doesn't have the skills to excel at the role or understand the core responsibilities.

Recruit for the Hybrid Workforce

Hiring a diverse and flexible workforce means that the employer must be flexible as well. Many people find themselves in caregiving positions, including for children or elders, preventing them from working a standard schedule. Developing a policy that allows for nonstandard work hours, compressed schedules, remote work, and other types of flexibility on a recurring or one-off basis allows people to bring their whole selves to work while still taking care of personal and family responsibilities. Flexibility in this area greatly expands the pool of candidates and allows contributions from those in different types of situations. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety offers tips about the options and benefits of Flexible Work Arrangements.

Another dimension of this flexibility is telecommuting. Key guidelines for telecommuting include the following:

• Define telecommuting (what it is and what it is not).
• Determine who approves telecommuting.
• Articulate what work can be done and how performance is measured.
• Decide where remote work can be done.
• Determine when a role is eligible for telecommuting and under what circumstances.
• Explain why telecommuting is in place and how it helps the organization.
• Describe how to navigate the process.

See these examples of telecommuting policies:

• Portland State University: Remote Work Guidelines
• The George Washington University: Remote and Hybrid Work
• California State University Telecommuting Program

Pay Attention to the Language Used in Position Descriptions

Consider language used in position descriptions. Using aggressive or highly competitive language in a description when it isn't relevant to the job may exclude applicants who would otherwise apply. Asking for very specific skills may limit the numbers and diversity of your applicant pool. Instead, look for general skills and the ability to learn. Avoid gendered language and consider masking some applicant information to help limit bias. The article Writing Inclusive Job Postings and Descriptions goes over language that can help in crafting an inclusive job posting.

Understand the Team's Makeup

Transparency in the team's makeup from a background and skills perspective can assist in pursuing the best candidates.

• 7 Best Practices for Managing Teams With Different Backgrounds (background discovery)
• CliftonStrengths (Skills)
• Self-Assessment

Use Team Guidance for Candidate Introductions

An individual candidate selection process can be difficult, but not vetting a candidate sufficiently and not introducing a candidate to the team during the interview process can bring other challenges. There are various ways to introduce candidates.

Depending on the hiring process, an opportunity to do an interview with the team prior to hire might or might not be available. Regardless, an individual could come into a "meet the team" interview or first meeting with certain expectations. In any case, these interactions will help bring some perspective on what individuals might need to research or pursue to better adapt themselves. This process can enable the team and the candidate or new hire to anticipate future training and assistance needs earlier in the process. The following articles can be adapted to either a team interview or first meeting:

• How to Approach the Final Stage 'Meet the Team' Interview
• How to Do Well in a Meeting the Team Interview

Attract

Referral benefits are a great way to incentivize the staff and faculty to reach out to their existing networks. Some institutions and corporations provide bonuses and other benefits to encourage referrals. Stipulations attached to those benefits could include minimum work windows that the benefits vary depending on the job level of the position for which the candidate is being considered.

• 7 Brilliant Employee Referral Programs Examples

Along with standard recruitment practices, it is imperative to leverage the organization's human network. A connection who is referred to a position could be as good as a preliminary interview in some cases.

• It's All about Who You Know

Recruit

One of the most significant assets that a college or university has are the students who are already lifelong learners in the middle of rigorous growth.

Aligning the skills learned in academic programs with the needs of organizational positions requires effort, but it can be highly beneficial for institutions. In many cases, organizations are looking for people who can both come up to speed quickly and also have cutting-edge skills. Students are uniquely positioned to fill this gap.

• Leveraging Student Employees

Select

Presenting the organization's goals during the interview process will help candidates understand how well they could assimilate into the new environment. It can also help sell the organization to the candidate in a way that can really build culture before the interviewee even becomes a part of the institution. A clear understanding of goals is also important in an environment where the culture and environment have value that goes beyond the salary.

Leverage the Opportunities

Colleges and universities have a great opportunity to recruit talent and promote their positions to their student body. Here are some examples where institutions have done it effectively:

• The George Washington University: Internships & Career Services
• Georgetown University: Internships
• California State University: Starting Your Career

One thing these institutions have in common is that they leverage the secondary benefits of their location. They bring excitement to the roles by highlighting their proximity to exciting or unique locations. Whether it's location, history, or specific skills, effective marketing of these programs for a generation accustomed to social media is critical for success.