Interview practices and hiring is difficult. In a recent report conducted by Modis, 41% of the surveyed IT hiring managers said that finding talent with the right technical skillset is extremely difficult. About 80% of these hiring managers believe that this difficulty stems from the huge gap between the available talent and the type of talent most tech companies need. For instance, even if there are candidates who are equipped with technical skills they often lack relevant soft skills. Ironically, those who do have the required skills fall short when it comes to technical knowledge. This reality, along with the speedily growing demand for tech professionals, makes hiring in IT immensely competitive. To help you get the best people for your company, here’s a list of some of the best interview practices you can employ:
Gear your questions to their job level
Interviews are meant to provide you with an opportunity to thoroughly assess potential employees. To serve this purpose, you need to ask the right questions. Lean towards job-specific questions that will help you determine whether the person you are interviewing has the necessary skills needed for the job. Figure out exactly what you are looking for in a new hire and use this as a basis when constructing interview questions. If you are not a technology expert, it might be best to get the help of someone who is and if possible have them accompany you during the interview.
Determine whether they have the right combination of skills
There is no telling whether the future of work would be remote work, considering the current state of the world. Aside from having a competent technical skillset, hire someone who is equipped with the right communication and collaboration skills that will help them thrive in a remote work situation and set you up for the future. While collaboration skills are crucial when it comes to providing virtual IT support, HP explains that great communication skills are essential when it comes to using software like Zoom, Slack, and Skype which will be the main medium of interaction for a mobile workforce. With most companies using some form of instant messaging, candidates need to be able to follow and deliver instructions without face-to-face interaction.
Ask for real solutions
As a hiring manager, you will want to recruit someone who can provide more value to your company and offer something new. Instead of asking vague questions like “Why should we hire you?” describe real-life issues to your interviewees. Explain a problem that the tech department is currently struggling with and ask how your interviewee will solve it. You can also try to describe a process or strategy that the company uses and ask the candidate to identify inefficiencies and offer steps for improvement.
Research the market
Before you begin your whole recruitment process and get to conducting interviews, you first have to research the market. As explained in our previous post ‘5 Top Tips to Recruit and Retain Top Developers‘, this step will enable you to determine which benefits appeal to talents best and what specific things turn them off. Conducting market research will not only help you design an effective interview but also help in strategically targeting qualified candidates which will reduce hiring costs.
As the world continues to shift to the digital space, almost all businesses can now be considered as tech companies. To ensure that your company continues to thrive in this tech-driven world, employ the best interview practices that will help you recruit the right tech professional for your company.
exclusively written for redbeachadvisors.com By Ivory Hunt