Internal Recruitment, How to pick the best candidates for your company.

 Internal Recruitment, how to pick the best candidates for your company?

 

Finding the right person for a new job position has never been an easy job. The pandemic and the arrival of hybrid and remote work modalities, plus the reduction of geographical barriers has made this process increasingly demanding and the volume of applicants to a vacancy is increasing.  

In order to ensure that the selection process is effective, efficient and does not represent rework in the future, it is necessary to establish a series of steps that can lead the HR department to identify on a very early stage, whether or not, the candidate is the right person for the position and more important, whether their personality fits with the company's philosophy.  

Here are some tips:  

1. Take your time to do the selection process 

It is very important that before starting the selection process, you have a clear understanding of what you are looking for, the profile expected, the abilities and skills you need for the position and the cross-cultural skill you consider valuable. It is better to take time to find the right person, than to make a hasty decision and hire the wrong person!   

2. Phone interview or invite them to answer questions on virtual platforms  

Do a simple telephone interview where you verify if both, you and the applicant, are interested in continuing with the process. It is important that the applicant knows in broad strokes what the position is about and what the benefits of it are. This call will give you a quick read of what the person is like, what aspirations they have, and why they are interested in working for your company. This is perhaps, is the key filter that will avoid wasted time as you go through the selection process.  

Currently there are different virtual platforms where through questions and videos, human resources departments can have an even clearer reading that will help you to indicate behaviors from the beginning of the process. 

3. Prepare "good questions" to ask, pose a problem, and inquire about something they're passionate about. 

Preparing "Good questions" means asking specific questions that lead you to know the applicant more thoroughly. Ask about scenarios that might happen, ask about their successes, their failures, and learnings. These types of questions, will allow you to see the face of the true applicant and ability to assimilate and react to different situations.  

Giving them a problem to solve is a very good tool, which in addition to showing how they perform with others in the workplace and their ability to work in a team, will show their ability to analyze information.  

Show interest in things they are passionate about; this will let you get to know them a little more and show them who they really are as a person. 

4. Make sure applicants fit the organizational culture and if they like to play as a team 

While skills are important, checking if they fit the organizational culture and if they like to work in a team is even more important. Are they cooperative? Are they proactive?, Do they lead the team to thrive?, Do they have a positive mindset? These are aspects that are reflected in the day-to-day interaction of a team and adds value to the company.  

5. Get feedback from people who know them 

If you have the opportunity to talk to someone who has worked with them, other team members, their assistant, or their former boss, do it. This will help you corroborate, in some way, if the information they provided and the impression they gave you are right or not.   

 

Why is important to provide feedback after an interview?

  

Why is important to provide feedback after an interview?

For many people applying for new job opportunities, presenting interviews and going through long selection periods, in which most of the time they do not get any kind of response, can be very stressful. In most of the cases, the most frustrating part is not just getting a "No" as an answer, but not knowing "Why" they were not selected, especially when the candidates felt they did well during the interview. 

Giving feedback after an interview takes time and can be seen as an extra task during the recruitment process, but it represents kindness and empathy with the people who prepared and did their best to participate and respond to the vacancy that the company opened. 

When it comes to feedback, we speak in terms of communication skills, preparation, interaction and professionalism; if the candidate communicated clearly, it could be perceived as he was prepared to present the interview and had important information about the company and the market; or the interaction they had with the interviewer and how well they managed to answer the questions;  and finally, the use of proper language and ways to express their ideas during the interview; are some of the points we should consider to provide feedback to candidates. 

Receiving feedback after an interview is very valuable, as it leads candidates to develop self-awareness and improve personal and professionally for new opportunities for the future. During that job search process, receiving feedback can mean an increase on their chances of being hired at closer date. 

Then, how to give that feedback in a correct way, so that the candidate can take advantage of that information to grow and be hired in a short term? 

As contracting companies, heads, or departments of human resources, we should bear in mind that the following information provided during the feedback is key for the candidates feel valued and appreciated, even though, they will not move forward on the selection process. 

1. Thank the candidate for their participation in the process. 
2. Highlighting their strengths and abilities. 
3. Use clear examples to express your ideas. 
4. Do not use comparisons. 
5. Mention the reason why they were not selected by talking about their weaknesses in soft way. Do not involve the use of "you are not", or "you can’t", these expressions can affect negatively the way people receive constructive feedback.  
6. Finally, put at the service of the candidate advice and tools that can serve to transform weaknesses into strengths and motivate them always, by inviting them to participate again in future processes.