Collaboration is nothing new in businesses across the globe. At a geometric rate, it is becoming a central and required protocol for how companies operate. Collaboration is especially important when it comes to acquiring the best new talent. Collaborative hiring, as it is often called, has become the cornerstone of effective hiring for many organizations.
If multiple individuals from diverse operational areas in an organization are a part of job candidates’ review and assessment, then the successful applicant will, by default, make a stronger team member than the one who merely passes through Human Resources (HR). When businesses select the top 20% of candidates based on a scientific assessment, they experience 59% less turnover, 41% less absenteeism, 21% higher profitability, 17% higher productivity, and 10% higher customer metrics.
And now, eSkill has introduced a ‘blind’ interview protocol that serves as an objective and reliable assessment of candidates’ skills and competencies.
How Do Group Interviews Work?
Group interviews work in multiple ways. eSkill provides clients a precise yet flexible tool for bringing various stakeholders into the hiring decision. eSkill’s team scoring feature allows for diverse internal constituents to evaluate and render hiring decisions that are, by definition, going to be advantageous for the organization using them and for the successful applicant, too.
Immediately, the new hire has advantages over the one selected using the HR-only approach. The new-hire has already been ‘introduced’ to the organization and, therefore, will be able to fit in more quickly than one not chosen in the same manner. The likelihood of candidates hired through a collaborative approach succeeding in their new position is much greater than those who have been screened through traditional methods. And that is because of the inherent advantages of collaborative hiring.
Seek Assistance Externally
Group interviews can be facilitated by a partner, as the process of creating reliable and valid measures for assessing responses to questions and prompts can be challenging. eSkill is an industry leader in this area with a perfect 15-year record of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission compliance. Most organizations simply don’t have the internal resources and expertise to develop and conduct unbiased group interviews without assistance.
While top companies have always viewed collaboration as a necessity, the application of collaborative practices in HR departments is beginning to become common practice. Businesses are starting to realize that strategically assessing candidates to identify the right talent is a necessary strategy for sustained success.
How to Conduct a Group Interview
When it comes to establishing group interviews, eSkill has developed the ideal approach:
Appropriate internal evaluators are identified
Job and skill-specific questions and prompts are developed
Standardized criteria are developed so that each evaluator measures proficiencies and characteristics uniformly
With eSkill’s user-friendly candidate evaluation platform, the group interview questions and prompts are then automatically sent to applicants. Applicants then complete their responses to the interview questions with either a written, video, or recorded voice response. For the interview to be truly objective, the responses to the interview questions must be completed in a written response. eSkill provides companies with the ability to administer voice and video interviews as well.
After candidates complete the group interview, the assigned evaluators score responses. Then, a group appraisal takes place, and an offer may be made to the successful candidate. Implementing a standardized process for assessing the skills, behavior, and aptitude of candidate for the role increases the odds that the selected applicant will enhance the organization.
Why? The hiring decision is less biased because more internal individuals are involved in the process, and if administered as a written response interview, the evaluators will not have access to any of the candidates’ identifying information. If group interviews are performed correctly, they are objective and inclusive and without bias. This protocol for team scoring allows businesses to make data-driven hiring decisions and ultimately benefits both the business entity and the new hire.
eSkill’s team scoring approach encompasses all the steps necessary for the successful group interview. The overall key: getting complete buy-in from the individuals who will evaluate the applicant. These individuals know the company culture and can help assess fit. Collaborative hiring is a two-way street.
Group interviews should also increase the confidence in the selected job candidate. The new-hire knows that a group of individuals from various departments participated in the hiring decisions. This group setting results in all parties in the group interview feeling empowered.
Technology is capable of fueling talent acquisition functions at a lightning pace. Why not enhance HR’s ability to hire the perfect candidate? eSkill’s intuitive candidate assessment platform gives HR personnel ever-expanding tools to hire faster and better.
Experts agree long-term efficiencies are realized when the “perfect” job applicant is selected for the “right” position. In the documentary Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine, Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, explains, “I consider the most important job of someone like myself as recruiting.”
Interested in Learning How to Conduct a Group Interview?
Learn about the advantages of using eSkill’s group interviewing, team scoring and skills tests to find qualified candidates quickly.
