If you’re looking to data to answer questions like “What drives turnover?” and “Where do our best candidates come from?” then this webcast is for you.
Data can provide great insight into your hiring process—but it’s easy to be misled by the numbers. Learn what questions you’ll be able to answer, like, What drives turnover? and Where do top candidates come from? Plus, how to avoid bias for better results.
Technology has changed the recruitment game, and candidates today have new expectations about what your hiring process should be like. Learn how to balance technology with personal touches for a modern and engaging candidate experience.
Most hiring managers would prefer to swing from the hip and run with unstructured interviews, but is that the best method for selecting talent?
The good (and the bad) thing about unstructured interviews is that they’re relatively easy to conduct and hiring managers can choose their own adventure with the questions they feel are necessary at the time. While that may sound perfect to most, there are serious flaws to consider.
For example, what happens when the hiring manager notices their candidate attended the same University they did and they choose to explore with additional questions around education? Or maybe the hiring manager learns their candidate grew up in the same town and now questions are flowing about local ice cream shops and people they both might know. Both of these situations could lead to interview bias in the process.
While they may not realize it, hiring managers will lean towards candidates that are similar to them. Some may point to human nature here, but it’s certainly not helping the organization find the right fit. While unstructured interviews may be perceived to be the most effective interviewing method, studies have found they’re actually among the worst predictors of performance.
If the above hasn’t convinced you to make the switch to structured interviews, we have 4 reasons that might help you get there.
Can you truly compare candidates and determine fit if they’ve all answered different questions? No, in fact, unstructured interviews can only explain 14% of an employee’s future performance. Here’s how the numbers compare:
With a structured interview, all qualified candidates answer the exact same set of questions. This makes comparing candidates answers and skill sets easier, and also puts candidates on an even playing field.
While managers may love going with their gut in hiring, unstructured interviews allow for bias and the possibility of hiring similar candidates in each position. Teams that are diverse and inclusive make stronger teams that will help attract clients and partners, stimulate innovation, and make for a better organization overall.
Using the same questions for every candidate does make the structured interview more defensible in court if something should come up. While it may not erase all discrimination, a recent case review found only 13% of structured interviews were discriminatory, while half of unstructured interviews were discriminatory.
Someone new to conducting interviews will appreciate a clear and easy to follow process that structured interviews provide. Coming up with questions on the fly can be challenging and the organization should want some control over which questions are asked. The set of questions will guide the interviewer through the process and should promote their own confidence throughout the interview.
From the candidate’s perspective, there’s nothing worse than answering questions that may not have anything to do with the job and the skills needed to perform that job. The structured interview prevents questions from getting off track and sticks to what matters most for that specific position. This leads the candidate to feel as if they were treated fairly.
And similarly to the point above in number four, a structured interview will be easiest for most interviewers. With consistent pre-selected questions, they’ll be able to compare their notes more easily and will be able to explain clearly why a specific candidate is the better choice.
How Wepow Makes Structured Interviews Easy
Using our pre-recorded interview solution, it only takes a few steps to get started with an effective structured interview. The best part about working with Wepow is that your hiring team doesn’t need to spend any time training on structured interviews. Simply let our system guide and walk you through the following easy steps.
The above process and tools level the playing field for candidates and help your organization select the best fit. Our system ensures that all candidates receive the same questions. Once you’ve received their answers, utilize Wepow’s scoring system or build your own custom evaluation to keep rating consistent throughout the process.
Want to learn more benefits of a pre-recorded video interview? Click here to see how they’ll eliminate the hassle of scheduling and save valuable time for your recruiter.
Have a question about structured interviews and/or our pre-recorded interview solution? Send us a tweet to @goWepow.
The assessment results help me decide if a candidate is the right fit for the position they applied for. The candidate receives a score from 1-5 on the assessment, and depending on the results, I know immediately whether to proceed or release the candidate from the interview process.
Samantha Willing, Talent Acquisition Specialist
Biggest challenge: Helping managers staff up for new restaurant openings
This sandwich shop, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, began as a food cart in 1933 and now has a cult following. With 37 current locations and several openings planned for 2017, the Primanti Bro’s. growth plan is aggressive and will launch the brand into new areas across the U.S.
As a unique restaurant concept, Primanti Bro’s. seeks people who are passionate about the brand and fit the culture. With rapid expansion as a key initiative, recruiters and hiring managers must quickly fill front of house (FOH), back of house (BOH), and management positions for new locations with no existing staff. That’s why Primanti Bro’s. began using Outmatch assessments in 2016—to speed up the hiring process by targeting best-fit candidates.
I’ve gotten great feedback from hiring managers. They say that the assessment scores cut way down on the time they spend deciding if a candidate meets our company’s expectations.
Samantha Willing, Talent Acquisition Specialist
Biggest challenge: Helping managers staff up for new restaurant openings
Outmatch helps me find the right people to hire. I print out the interview questions that come with the assessment results, and it really helps keep my questions relevant to that particular candidate.
Josh Garrity, GM “Head Coach” at Erie, PA location
Biggest challenge: Getting quality candidates for FOH and BOH positions
We have a high percentage of internal promotions, which speaks to our ability to grow talent. The assessment results help us understand an individual’s potential and strengths and weaknesses so that we can align succession and development plans accordingly.
Cheryl Domitrovic, Director of Human Resources
Biggest Challenge: Winning talent in competitive markets
One of the most talked about and debated trends in HR Technology has been Artificial Intelligence (AI). Quick searches of the topic prompt wild predictions that believe AI will be a game-changer in productivity for HR professionals. There are also others who fear “machine” could take our jobs. The truth is, while there’s reason to be cautiously optimistic, it’s still much too early to predict the exact impact of AI in HR and Talent Acquisition. Like any new technology in our space, if not used properly and with the right strategy behind it, users can find themselves deep in the rabbit hole.
What is AI?
Before we go any further, let’s take a step back and clarify what we mean by AI. Artificial Intelligence is an area of computer science where computers are “developed” to behave as humans do. As shared by Converge.xyz, there are three levels of AI, and each level is measured by “human reasoning.” The levels are Strong AI, Weak AI, and In-between AI. Read about them here.
Four Ways AI Could Impact HR
Each new employee has different learning preferences, which aren’t always supported by onboarding and training software. The customization of employee-related training and coaching is seen as one potential exciting impact of AI. The same machine-learning algorithms that make movie and restaurant recommendations will soon be available to develop similar customizations for new employees in training.
As more employee data is collected, the system should become even smarter, making better recommendations and more efficient training.
Simply put scheduling wastes everyone’s time and it’s not a task that anyone enjoys. As Workology puts it, “Imagine a world where a machine books meetings, schedules, and even orders food without you having to a do a simple thing.” If that world sounds nice to you, we invite you to meet Amy Ingram. Amy Ingram (clever AI initials) is an AI personal assistant that aims to take away the pain of scheduling. As discussed here, she’s so human-like that many who have hired Amy haven’t realized she’s not a real person.
Systems like Amy Ingram could become popular tools for interview scheduling, performance reviews, etc.
Not all teams are set up with enough recruiters or the right tools to engage with their talent as often as they should. AI could potentially be used to automate the sending of emails and status messages throughout the entire process. If done right, it could be an improvement in the candidate experience. However, the automation of messages isn’t always welcome by the end user, so authenticity will be the name of the game.
Being able to assess and predict future turnover, employee engagement, training needs, and other workforce trends is a time consuming, but critical component of HR. AI and deep learning should be able to use data to predict more accurately and much quicker than ever before. The information provided could be invaluable to HR professionals to help advise the organization on change.
What are some other areas you see AI impacting HR in the future? Send us a tweet @goWePow and let us know what you think!
If you’re not careful, your organizational culture—including who you hire, what you offer, and how you communicate expectations—can contribute to burnout. Learn how to keep burnout in check, and improve the employee experience for a more productive workforce.
Tasked with doubling its revenue over five years, company executives needed a better way to identify key players and get them up to speed quickly.
Executive summary
With aggressive growth as part of its five-year strategic plan, executives at this 70,000-employee automotive retailer needed a solution that was quick to implement and effective. They needed a better way to evaluate key sales and management employees for important characteristics, with the goal of moving key players from roles such as branch manager to area manager. The company chose Outmatch because the platform was easier to use and put into action than other vendors.
Auto retailer uses data to make more accurate hires and improve onboarding
Since the retailer needed to grow quickly, there was no time to waste. They already understood what made their key employees successful – what they needed was a more effective way to identify those traits. Outmatch built an assessment that spotlighted key characteristics and matched them with appropriate job competencies. The assessment data showed where the candidate or employee fit or didn’t fit within required job skills. It also revealed where development efforts would be needed to succeed in the role.
What did the retailer like most about the solution? It liked that the assessments were quick and easy to use. New hires only had to complete the assessment once and then HR staff could evaluate fit for different roles (comparing their results to multiple profiles). Management was also trained to show the value of these assessments – how they could link them to growth and best practices. Hiring managers could now use this data to make more consistent and objective hiring decisions and provide candidates with better onboarding guidance post-hire.
Targeted reports assist with selection and development too
Once the retailer zeroed in on a promising candidate, they interviewed the candidate using the Outmatch report which included targeted interview questions based on assessment results. This interview guide enabled hiring managers to quickly understand the candidate’s strengths and potential weaknesses and dig into any areas of concern during the interview. Then, if candidates were hired, a report was generated that gave hiring managers feedback on how the candidate’s innate characteristics aligned with the required job competencies.
The bottom line? The retailer improved hiring speed and accuracy. Onboarding also benefited because management had a better understanding of strengths and development areas. Now, this auto retailer is poised for smart growth over the long-term.
The data Outmatch generated through automated reference checking for external hires was so compelling that this contractor applied the solution to internal talent selection too.
Executive Summary
This multi-national food service organization has more than 50,000 sites and 510,000 employees. In 2016 alone, approximately 6,140 candidate reference checks were performed. That’s a big investment of time and money, so it’s important that data collected be right. The company approached Outmatch about finding a faster and more accurate way to gather useful candidate information.
A Need for Speed without Sacrificing Quality
The organization needed to automate processes and reduce the strain on the recruitment network. However, it didn’t want to sacrifice objective and predictive value to the decision-making hiring process. Without a better way, staff wasted time and gathered subjective or somewhat useless candidate information. What next?
Predictive, Competency-Based Solutions Made a Difference
The contractor partnered with Outmatch in 2014 to automate reference checking and improve quality of hire. A Director of U.S. Talent Acquisition, said they chose Outmatch because Outmatch could develop a solution to meet specific needs.
Outmatch matched the right people with the right roles through predictive, competency-based solutions and they quickly saw results that positively affected its bottom line.
Automated Reference Checking Solution Pays Off
Once automated reference checking was implemented, hiring managers realized serious bottom line benefits. Under the old system, recruiters filled out multiple forms and reference checks often took 30 minutes or more on the phone.
“We were able to take all that away,” the Director said.
With Outmatch automated reference checking, the company saved time, labor and got a more quality result.
In fact, the client was so excited by the quality of the people hired from outside the company that they asked Outmatch to develop a similar solution for the internal hiring process.
“We had to ask standard questions of hiring managers such as whether a candidate had proper work authorizations,” the Director said. “So, we asked Outmatch to develop an automated solution to fit that need too.”
Through close client communication and teamwork, Outmatch created a tailored solution that worked. To date, this leading food service contractor has improved its talent selection and hiring processes and continues to work with Outmatch to build world class candidate experiences.
Brand management, lead nurturing, conversion tracking… HR marketing is new terrain for most recruiting professionals, but we’re here to help you make sense of it. Learn how to leverage marketing best practices to improve recruitment and hiring.
Executive Summary
A leading provider of health care services in the U.S. and U.K. has been using Outmatch assessments since 2012 to identify high-potential leaders who best represent their core value of patient-centered care. Over four years, this provider has saved over $240,000 per year across all locations by identifying poor fit candidates and avoiding their hire.
Assessments Drive ROI across the Organization
With more than 250 hospitals and surgery centers, this health care provider employs more than 200,000 people in a health care system that sees more than 26 million patients each year.
Over the past four years, this health care organization assessed nearly 25,000 candidates per year for cultural fit and alignment with core values. Over that time, this organization identified more than 2 candidates per year in each location that did not fit their requirements – that’s a total savings of approximately $960,000 per location over the four years.
Hiring Challenges in Health Care
Like many health care organizations, this company faces two major challenges:
To address these challenges, they have focused their talent initiatives on leadership—specifically executive leadership, hospital administration, and corporate and HR roles. It is a priority to select leaders who would uphold their core value of high-quality, patient-centered care.
Selecting the Right Role Models
Because leadership impacts employee performance at all levels of the health care system, they began using Outmatch assessments for senior executives, and for leaders at each locally managed facility. These assessments were tailored to fit their existing competency models, and helped target candidates who would act as role models and drive success for the organization.
Improving Leadership Quality
By screening out over 2,300 candidates who lack key leadership competencies, Outmatch assessments have helped the health care provider greatly reduce the number of candidates eligible for a role, thereby drastically reducing the amount of money spent dealing with poor fits.
Since implementing Outmatch assessments, this health care provider has also seen improvements in overall leadership performance, as well as improvements in key areas including work ethic, building strategic relationships, driving for results, coaching & developing, customer focus, and teamwork.
Looking Ahead
After seeing success in leadership selection, they are now looking to use assessments for call center representatives. By improving customer service and candidate fit at their call center locations, they have the opportunity to provide consistent quality care and support to patients over the phone.