Elevating the Interview Debrief
One of the most important parts of the recruitment process is the interview debrief. In today’s competitive world of multi-tasking and shifting priorities, finding time to get an interview team together for discussion can be a challenge. Generally, team members agree and understand the importance of recruiting and attracting top talent. There can be a disconnect, however, in interview teams prioritizing the debrief in order to share feedback with their colleagues.
I would like to offer an approach to your interview debrief that promotes candidate experience and lends itself to best practices with interviewing and timely hiring.
Before the interview itself takes place, create a plan for your interview team to cover a specific topic with each candidate. For example, one individual or group may do a clinical or technical assessment, while another focuses on sharing information about the organization’s mission and culture. A third may discuss the role’s expectations and strategic initiatives where this candidate could make an impact. This planning will help prepare your team to focus on each candidate’s skillset and strengths pertaining to that topic.
When your team reconvenes at the end of the interview sessions, each team member or group will be able to compare candidates within the topic area they covered. This will also ensure specific details about each candidate are shared in the debrief, and avoids a discussion centered around unrelated findings or unfair comparisons.
Another consideration is to hold the debrief meeting the same day as the interview whenever possible, and no later than two business days after the candidate’s interview. Timeliness is so important to keeping candidates interested and engaged in the opportunity. When considering multiple candidates for a role, waiting a few weeks to get back together and compare notes is too long. It’s easy for memories to fade during that time or to become indifferent when comparing candidates. Holding the debrief the same day as the interview ensures memories are sharp and your team will have better discussions about the pros and cons of each candidate.
Lastly, keep your eye on the prize! Many organizations have set budget aside for adding 2019 staff members and put considerable work towards finding top talent in the market. If you have been interviewing this spring, now is the time to get together with your colleagues and move to an offer. A debrief is just the tool that can help bring your interview team to closing and hopefully a great new addition!
If you need to refine your recruiting process, or perhaps are struggling to build a pipeline, please feel free to contact me at arobinson@omnihrm.com or 913.653.8089. I would be happy to share how OMNI Human Resource Management can help you build a cohesive team focused on your organization’s mission, values and strategic results.
