Quality, not quantity, is key to better recruitment

There always seems to have been a belief that multiple interviews make for more robust and effective recruitment. Google famously had a process that could see candidates going through up to 20 interviews to get hired.

Video interviews are more straightforward to schedule than face-to-face meetings, and some employers have taken advantage of this with the recent move to virtual hiring. Recruitment processes that now involve as many as six interviews when they previously only had two or three are by no means uncommon.

What is very clear, though, is that quantity does not equate to quality. Google substantially reduced the number of interviews when its data showed they weren't actually getting any additional insights about their candidates.

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If interviews are carefully designed, hiring managers are appropriately trained, and clear objectives are in place, then less really is more. A lengthy, poorly thought-out recruitment process results in a terrible candidate experience and wasted management time.

The pandemic's unique recruitment challenges have seen many forward-thinking employers overhaul their recruitment processes by using technology to make them simpler and more effective. Some recent innovations include automated text-based interviews that give candidates clear feedback for volume hiring in industries such as frontline retail.

In areas where more in-depth processes are necessary, transcription technology is allowing the content of individual interviews to be analysed, and the recruitment process continuously improved for enhanced effectiveness and a better candidate experience. The days of multiple interviewers asking candidates the same repeated questions about their CVs will soon hopefully be over forever.

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Technology aside, properly documenting and quality checking existing recruitment process offers the opportunity to improve by challenging entrenched ways of working that provide little value and waste everybody's time.

Setting expectations is also very important. It has been encouraging to see companies starting to included upfront in their job adverts information on the amount of time their recruitment process will take, and the level of preparation required.

Times are challenging for both for employers and job seekers at the moment, and there is no longer any excuse for poor processes that try and use multiple interviews for candidate validation. Designing your recruitment with a focus on simplicity and efficiency will lead to a better experience for candidates, more effective use of hiring manager time, and perhaps most importantly, better quality hires who provide more value to your business.

Matt Alder is the producer and host of The Recruiting Future Podcast