Working with a recruiter that leverages a smart technical screening platform helps prevent application fraud (see part one) and ensures candidates are being asked nuanced technical questions (see part two).
But that’s not all such a platform can do. It also helps prevent overbooked calendars and interview fatigue by expediting the application funnel without compromising vetting. Here’s how it works:
So many interviews, so little time
One of the tricky parts about vetting a candidate for a highly technical role is that it adds an additional set of standards that a company needs to verify. An HR rep may be in a strong position to determine if the candidate is a culture fit, and is knowledgeable about the company as a whole. This is a start, but it’s only one meeting in a long sequence to follow.
An applicant for an agile software engineer position, for instance, may need to meet with the other developers on the team, the project manager, the business analyst, quality assurance engineers and even the business stakeholders in some cases. In a perfect world, this would all happen in one very long interview where everyone asks all the right questions the first time around.
There are only so many hours in a work day to be spent screening candidates. There are only so many hours in a work day to be spent screening candidates.
Of course, we know that’s not possible – especially not when the average number of applicants for a corporate vacancy rounds out to about 250 people. Granted, that converts to about four to six interviewees on average. But when as many as four rounds of interviews are needed for each candidate, time adds up all the same. Calendars need to be coordinated. Pre- and post-interview meetings need to be held to plan for questions and discuss impressions. On top of that, these interviewers have responsibilities beyond just finding new hires.
To alleviate the strain on resources that comes with interview processes, we recommend working with a recruiter that has the technical screening capabilities needed to verify a candidate ‘s authenticity and eligibility.
ProsourceIT’s technical screening platform does both of these things, but also allows the interview to be recorded and shared with all hiring stakeholders.
One interview, two interview, three interview, door
“Ask the right questions the first time around.”
Interview fatigue goes both ways. According to a column published on HRNasty, candidates may actually become less impressive as they get further along in the interview process. This isn’t because questions get harder, but rather, because they become redundant. And if there’s one part of the IT world that can do without redundancy, it’s the interview process.
As HRNasty noted, what starts as a compelling three-minute monologue in the fist interview, can easily become a lackluster response void of spark by the third. This is mainly because candidates assume that they’ll be asked a different set of questions during each interview. They may even think they’re doing the company a favor by giving the Cliff Notes, when really, they’re just underwhelming the audience.
It’s impossible to know how many incredible candidates have been shown the door as a result of repetitive interview questions (or how many walked out because they got an offer from a company that was quicker to the draw). If we had to venture a guess, we’d say too many.
Again, a recruiter such as prosourceIT’s virtual technical screening services can help here. With access to a network of thousands of qualified IT interviewers, we ask the right questions the first time around, and if needed, test candidates on the spot. Since these meetings are recorded, hiring managers and team members can watch them right from their desks or on their smartphones during a lunch break. This is much less stressful than trying to squeeze yet another technical exhibition into a jam-packed schedule.
It’s deceptively simple, but so are most ingenious ideas. To learn more about how this great idea can help your organization, contact prosourceIT today.
