While the number of steps in a hiring process varies significantly between organizations, so does the number of people included on the interview team. Some organizations involve teams that span multiple roles and departments and include recruiters, hiring managers, team members, and even executives. Others delegate the entire responsibility of interviewing to a single hiring manager.
Although it is becoming more common to see organizations involve multiple interviewers and treat interviewing as a collaborative process, the benefits of doing so tend to be overlooked and are not fully appreciated.
Involving multiple interviewers in the hiring process is important for many reasons and can benefit candidates, team members, and the organization on a broader scale.
The key reasons you should include multiple interviewers
Increases fairness in hiring
When one interviewer evaluates a candidate, that evaluation consists of a single individual’s perception. While that perception likely includes some accurate information about a candidate’s skills, it also likely includes some bias about the candidate as bias is inherent in human decision-making.
Including multiple interviewers leads to multiple evaluations which allows you to aggregate scores. Aggregating scores directly limits the extent to which one person’s bias influences the overall hiring decision. This results in a fairer outcome for candidates.
Gives candidates more insight into their future
As candidates move through your hiring process, they are forming expectations about what it’s like to work at your organization. When they meet their future team members in interviews, candidates develop greater insights into how they will fit with the team and what to expect.
With more realistic expectations, you help them make a more informed decision about whether your organization is the right fit for them. The better decision they can make about fit, the more likely they are to make a successful hire who performs well and is more committed to your organization.
Makes team members feel valued
Involving your team in interviews signals that you care about your team and their outcomes. Employees value the opportunity to provide input on organizational processes and decisions. Being involved in decisions that will have a direct impact on their outcomes is especially important.
Hiring a new team member represents one of these decisions. New team members can have a substantial impact on the day-to-day workings and operations of a given team. Research shows that allowing employees to exercise their voice in this way is directly related to how fair they perceive their managers and their organizations.
Provides decision-making experience to future leaders
Your team members will likely move formally into leadership roles as they develop and move up in your organization. These members will then adopt more responsibility over decisions such as hiring.
Giving your team members formal exposure to not only interviewing but also the whole hiring process will allow them to develop their skill set and learn how to make high-quality decisions.
This directly prepares them for success by allowing them to learn and exercise their skillset, contributing to both their professional development and the development of the organization.
Allows your employees to take ownership of the new hire’s success
The level of accountability employees feel about their work is directly proportional to their amount of involvement with that work. If an employee is allowed to be involved in a hiring decision, they will feel personally invested in the outcome of that decision and will be motivated to help them succeed.
The result is a team that supports the chosen candidate and shares responsibility for that candidate’s success.
As you seek to achieve these outcomes and involve multiple team members in your interview process, there are a few other best practices you should follow:
· Ensure the process is structured and consistent so that every candidate goes through the same set of interviews with the same people
· Prepare and collaborate beforehand to ensure candidates are not asked the same question (by different interviewers) multiple times
· Inform candidates of who will be involved in the process ahead of time so they have clear expectations and can prepare accordingly
The benefits of involving multiple interviewers extend beyond the quality of the hiring decision. It results in fairer hiring decisions, a more engaged and satisfied team, and a greater likelihood that the chosen candidate will succeed on the job. Hireguide allows multiple team members to be included in multiple interview rounds, share candidate scores, and comment on specific responses from the candidate. Collectively, these results yield benefits for your candidates, your team, and your organization.
Add multiple interviewers with Hireguide
Use Hireguide to seamlessly include multiple team members in your interviews. Hiring team members can easily join interview rounds, follow your selected interview plan, rate and record comments on candidates, share candidate scores, and make hiring recommendations. Collectively, these results yield benefits for your candidates, your team, and your organization. Ready to get started? Schedule a free demo today.
References
Catano, V. M. Hackett, R. D., & Wiesner, W. H. (2019). Recruitment and selection in Canada (Seventh edition). Nelson Education.
