Speed interviews: fad or fab?
Tags: Virtual, Recruitment, Technology, Speed Interview

Hireplace

Law firms have been doing it for more than a decade. And so has IBM, Abbott Labs, NUS, and Workforce Singapore more recently.

It may seem like a reckless leap of faith, but to these companies, substituting long, overwrought assessments for speed, simplicity, and rapid-fire questions have its upsides.

We’re talking speed interviews.

Based on the same concept as speed dating, speed interviews allow companies to gauge whether an individual is a suitable candidate in 10 minutes or less.

This technique of relying on the subconscious mind’s ability to discern good hires is called thin slicing, which harnesses the power of thinking without thinking. It is supported by lots of cognitive research that suggests initial intuition is as — or maybe more — accurate than prolonged assessment.

But apart from helping companies avert the perils of pondering, here are some reasons why speed interviews are here to stay:

1. Saves on time and resources. Career fairs are a money pit. With speed interviews, companies can pre-screen and evaluate 20 candidates in the time it usually takes to meet 2. The convenience of scheduling multiple interviews in one go as well as the time it takes to accomplish this saves companies plenty of time and resources.

2. Immediate comparisons between candidates. Since most interviews for a position span days or even weeks, it’s hard for managers to remember the information they gathered in previous interviews. Speed interviews allow managers to see all of the candidates in a couple of hours, so they can better compare their talent pool’s strengths and weaknesses.

3. Access to a wider pool of talent. Speed interviewers see an average of 2 to 10 times more candidates, so there’s less chance that companies will miss out on a great candidate, especially one with a lousy résumé. A greater number of candidates also means that companies have access to more diverse talent.

4. Fewer rehearsed responses. Thanks to the Internet and Google, most candidates now arrive over-prepared for a regular-length interview. The beauty of speed interviewing is that you may get more genuine and unrehearsed responses.

5. Avoid the “hiring limbo”. Unfilled roles often have an ongoing cost for employers. With speed interviews, employers will be able to find their ideal candidate much faster and have a higher chance of landing that top candidate before they’ve moved on to another opportunity.

6. Eliminate inefficient phone interviews. Hiring managers typically rely on phone interviews to vet candidates before deciding to bring them in for an in-person conversation. This takes time to schedule and execute, unlike speed interviews, whereby employers are able to zero in on only the most qualified individuals. That way, they’re able to save time for deeper discussions with these candidates in the final stages of the hiring process.

Want to learn more about how Speed Interview can benefit your business? Book a demo today with Customer Success Manager — Cherilyn (Cherilyn@hireplace.com)

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