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Your interview process is more consequential than you might realize. It affects hiring costs and your quality of hire. It’s a big part of the candidate experience, which has an impact on your employer brand that reaches far beyond your talent pool. When interviews are efficient and thorough, they help you win top talent — but if they’re not, they can have the opposite effect.
Fortunately, candidates are letting us know what they feel makes a successful interview process. According to the 2024 Candidate Experience Benchmark Research Report, interviews at companies with a top-rated candidate experience have a few things in common:
- Candidates are more likely to feel their interview and assessment processes are fair.
- Candidates who were updated about their job fit and candidacy status at the end of the interview day are much more likely to refer others to the company.
- Finalist candidates who get feedback on their interview performance and are asked to give feedback are much more likely to refer others and engage with the business again.
Long story short, when hiring and interviews are fast, fair, and transparent, candidates are more likely to apply again, refer others, and have an affinity for the brand. Create a better candidate experience and make better hiring decisions with these interview process best practices.
Plan and Prepare
You’ll rarely achieve success without planning and preparation, and that includes the interview process. It’s essential to understand the core competencies of the role and the type of candidate you’re looking for, as well as the specifics of how interviews will be conducted and the tools you’ll use to give them.
Let’s dig into some interview best practices to apply before you start sourcing and screening candidates.
1. Define the Role and Align With Business Goals
The very first step in conducting great job interviews happens long before interviews begin — defining the role and aligning it with business goals. Think through all the aspects of the role and be explicit. The more applicants you can weed out before they even send a resume, the more you can focus on quality candidates.
Start by clarifying the job’s responsibilities, required skills, and the qualities that would make someone excel in the role. What skill sets are required? What level of experience is needed for this role? What are the day-to-day tasks?
You want to ensure that recruiters and hiring managers have created a picture of their perfect candidate to keep the search on track. But don’t stop at the individual role — consider how this employee will influence the big picture.
Are you hiring a new sales team member to support the company’s revenue growth goals? Maybe you’re expanding human resources to include learning and development (L&D) as your company’s goal this year is to establish an L&D strategy.
Aligning job requirements with business objectives keeps your hiring strategy laser-focused and ensures you’re bringing in talent that contributes to the company’s success.
2. Edit the Job Description
An effective job description is a must if you want to attract the right candidates rather than wasting time screening applicants who aren’t a good fit. Vague descriptors and generalized responsibilities leave room for unqualified candidates to flood your funnel with resumes that don’t match your needs. Since you first defined the role, it’s far easier to create a job description that appeals to your ideal candidate.
Though it’s important to be specific about who you’re looking for, you should also be sure your job postings won’t alienate potential applicants. Gendered language, overusing jargon, and years of experience requirements can discourage people from applying, even though they may be great candidates.
Get tips on what to include in your job descriptions and best practices for writing them.
This also helps increase transparency with candidates during hiring and interviews. Recruiters and hiring managers are able to help potential employees understand exactly how their work furthers company goals. Drawing a direct line from their contributions to business success is a great way to attract driven candidates and boost engagement and productivity among your entire workforce.
3. Design a Structured Interview Process
Structured, standardized interviews are key for hiring success for lots of reasons. They keep things fair and consistent and help you make smarter decisions. By asking every candidate the same set of questions, you level the playing field and make it easier to spot those that stand out.
Here’s how to design your process:
- Plan your questions: Develop a set of standardized questions that focus on the skills and qualities that matter most for the role, and ask every candidate the same ones.
- Use interview scorecards: A predetermined rating system helps you stay objective and compare candidates side by side without bias creeping in.
- Mix it up: Add behavioral-based interview questions (“Tell me about a time when…”) and scenario-based ones (“What would you do if…”) to get a sense of candidates' past behaviors and potential reactions to future situations.
A structured process doesn’t just make hiring easier — it makes it better for everyone involved.
4. Train Your Interviewers
Candidate interviews aren’t as easy as asking a few questions and judging the responses. With a structured interview process, you can ensure everyone giving interviews has a thorough, shared understanding of how it works.
Interviewers — whether recruiters, hiring managers, or individual team members — should receive regular training on the types of interviews they’ll be conducting. They should also have continuous access to interview tips and resources.
Some different interview formats to train on include:
- Phone interviews, usually simple candidate screenings
- In-person interviews, including group interviews
- Virtual interviews, including video interviews with multiple interviewers
In addition to training, supply your managers with guides and scorecards to help them prepare for interviews. That helps you ensure applicants are asked the same set of interview questions and are evaluated on the same criteria. It’s all standardized, which means you can rest assured your interviewing teams understand how to stay compliant and on track.
Interview scorecards also contribute to fair evaluations and a great candidate experience. They prompt hiring team members to provide immediate feedback, which can be used to give status updates and facilitate faster hiring decisions.
5. Start Using Recruiting Technology
If you’re not already leveraging an applicant tracking system (ATS) or talent acquisition platform, you need recruiting technology stat. Technology can automate many repetitive interviewing tasks that take up your team’s valuable time:
- HR chatbot assistants on career sites answer questions for job seekers 24/7, plus speed up screening and interview scheduling.
- Automatic links and integrated calendars eliminate email back-and-forth, simplifying scheduling for recruiters and candidates.
- Automated text and email reminders help reduce interview no-shows without creating extra work for recruiters.
- Built-in AI notetaker agents transcribe and summarize interviews so interviewers can better connect with candidates.
On top of that, recruiting technology helps make your entire hiring process smarter — refine your strategies, speed up processes, and get better hiring results. Tools like ATS platforms with AI-powered analytics provide insights that help you make data-driven decisions, like which interview questions predict top performers.
It also creates a better candidate experience — think flexible video interviews, automated status updates, and quick scheduling. Plus, when you’re dealing with a high volume of applicants, chatbots and automation keep everything running smoothly without piling extra work on your team.
Prioritize Candidate Experience
75% of employees say that having a positive candidate experience influenced their decision to take a job. According to CandE Research Reports in recent years, companies aren’t getting better at recruiting and interviewing candidates — they’re actually getting worse. Make candidate experience a priority in your interview process, and you’ll be a top contender for every applicant.
1. Stay Engaged During Interviews
Keep in mind that interviews are a two-way street. While your recruiters and hiring managers are deciding whether or not the candidate is a good fit, the candidate is evaluating your company, too. Put your best foot forward by coming to each interview prepared and ready to be fully engaged with your candidates.
- Review candidate profiles prior to the interview, and come prepared with your questions.
- Pay attention while your candidate is speaking. If possible, use an AI notetaking tool to record and transcribe the conversation so you can focus on the conversation.
- Give candidates the opportunity to ask you questions in return.
When a candidate feels that interviewers are prepared and engaged, it builds trust and leads to more productive, natural conversations.
2. Be Transparent
Be as open and honest with your candidates as possible so you get the same in return. That applies to the interview process as well as to the role itself.
- Transparency in job descriptions might mean professional background requirements list non-negotiables only, there’s a salary range, and the hybrid work schedule is specified.
- When screening candidates, practice transparency by establishing their desired salary and affirming that they meet role qualifications. Notify disqualified candidates immediately.
- Tell qualified candidates what to expect from your interview process. Thanks to your structured, tech-powered process, they’ll know the number of interviews to expect and roughly how long it should take.
- During job interviews, set expectations for the goals and projects the employee would participate in or complete. Give them a clear picture of what a typical workday looks like. Answer their questions honestly.
- Follow up promptly after interviews to schedule the next one, facilitate assessments, or let them know they’re no longer in the running.
The more transparent you are upfront, the fewer surprises for candidates — and the stronger trust you’ll build.
3. Don’t Forget the Post-Interview Process
The waiting is the hardest part, and there are few waiting periods so difficult as the one after a job interview. Follow up as soon as possible to alleviate the stress for your candidates and create a positive impression that lasts even if they aren’t hired.
Send an email — or draft one for the hiring manager — thanking candidates for their time and setting expectations for next steps and your anticipated timeline. A slow hiring process is sure to scare off top talent, so it’s important your candidates know what’s happening while they wait. Keep them in the loop if there are delays, and let them know ASAP via a phone call or email if they’re taken out of consideration.
Smarter Hiring & Better Interviews Start With AI-Powered ATS
A streamlined, data-driven, and candidate-friendly interview process is possible with the help of technology. Create a positive experience for everyone that sets your company apart.
Talk to our experts about ClearCompany’s AI-driven recruiting solutions when you schedule a free demo.
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