Collaborative Hiring: How Do Group Interviews Work?
Stephen Foster
Collaboration is nothing new in corporate, or in non-profit, America. At a geometric rate, it is becoming a central, and required, protocol for how businesses operate. This is especially true when it comes to acquiring new talent. Collaborative hiring, as it is often called, has become the cornerstone not only for how a business operates but for how it thrives. (Group interviews and collaborative hiring are used interchangeably.)
If multiple individuals from diverse operational areas in the corporation are a part of the job candidate’s review and assessment, then the successful applicant will, by default, make a stronger team member than the one who merely passes through Human Resources (HR). Plus, those involved in the evaluation will feel a heightened sense of belonging in the corporate structure. Everyone wins.
How Do Group Interviews Work?
Group interviews work in a multiplicity of ways. eSkill, founded in 2003, provides clients a precise yet flexible tool for bringing various corporate stakeholders into the hiring decision. Its team scoring protocols allow for diverse internal constituents to evaluate and render hiring decisions that are, by definition, going to be advantageous for the organization using them—for the successful applicant, too.
Immediately, the new hire has advantages over the one selected using the HR-only approach. He or she has already been “introduced” to the organization and will thus be able to fit in more quickly than one not chosen in such a manner. Not all candidates will work out. More will, though. And that is because of the inherent advantages of collaborative hiring.
Seek Assistance Externally.
Group interviews should be outsourced, and eSkill is the thought and practice leader in this area. Most corporations simply don’t have the internal resources and expertise to conduct an unbiased group interview. Also, while corporations view collaboration as a necessity, their “thinking” in this regard largely has to do with high-level strategy, not talent acquisition. But the right talent is high-level strategy.
How to Conduct a Group Interview.
When it comes to establishing group interviews, eSkill has developed the perfect approach.
Appropriate internal evaluators are identified. Uniform and consistent criteria are developed so that each evaluator is operating from the same set of underlying corporate objectives and necessities. These reviewers will grade the candidates on relevant proficiencies, all while using a uniform set of grading criteria. Finally, a group appraisal takes place and an offer is made to the successful candidate. The odds of the selected applicant enhancing the organization after hire are significant. Why? First, the hiring decision is less biased because more internal individuals are involved in the process. Plus, group hiring involves data-driven decisions; virtually all subjectivity is removed from the hiring protocol, and this clearly benefits both the business entity and the new hire.
If group interviews are performed correctly, they are objective and inclusive and without bias.
Group interviews should also increase the confidence of the selected job candidate; he or she knows that a group of individuals from various departments participated in the hire. Plus, for the forward-thinking candidate, the collaborative hiring exercise will allow him or her to evaluate the organization. What may make a good hiring fit from the employer’s perspective may not be the case as far as the applicant is concerned.
The eSkill approach encompasses all the steps necessary for the successful group interview. The overall key: getting complete buy-in from the individuals who will evaluate the applicant. These individuals need to be immersed in the corporate culture. In other words, they too must feel they are an intrinsic part of the organization’s cultural milieu—collaborative hiring is thus a two-way street.
This is a good thing. It means both parties to the group interview will feel empowered.
As Cath Everett says, writing in HR Magazine online: “The fact that co-workers are involved in the hiring process also means they have a vested interest in ensuring the new hire is successful. Unconscious biases are reduced as the views of the many rather than the interpretation of an individual are taken into consideration.”
Given the abundant advantages of group interviews, are there any negatives? Not really. Making hiring decisions using a collaborative approach may lengthen the hiring activity. But in the end, most experts agree, long-term efficiencies are realized when the “perfect” job applicant is selected for the “right” position.
Technology fuels Human Resource functions (others, too) at a lightning pace. It gives HR personnel ever-expanding tools to perform their tasks.
Why not enhance HR’s ability to hire the perfect candidate? Collaborative hiring will accomplish this. eSkill has built and tested the methodology behind group interviews, with proven results. Reach out to eSkill and take advantage of the company’s powerful group interviewing approaches.
As author Brian Tracy said, “The smartest business decision you can make is to hire qualified people. Bringing the right people on board saves you thousands, and your business will run smoothly and efficiently.”