Getting the perfect bank of candidates to interview for a role is a science that takes a lot of mastering. There are so many factors that take in deciding who to interview, that numbers are a almost a little irrelevant.
Do all suitable candidates deserve an interview?
The answer is probably yes, however operationally for your business this isn’t the most practical decision. Bringing that many people in to interview takes time that you may now have. It’s not just the interviews that will take the time, but discussing and debating candidates isn’t an easy or quick job either. On top of this, it’s vital to give candidates a good recruitment experience, including feedback to manage their expectations which isn’t an easy task at all.
Narrowing down these suitable candidates to a number would almost be impossible. There are so many factors that come in to choosing your perfect candidate, there are no strict rules about the interview process or how many you should shortlist.
Try telephone interviews to narrow down your list
There are quite a few different factors when it comes to shortlisting candidates for interview, like how many people actually applied for the job and how many positions you have available. Telephone interviews can give you a good idea of the personality of your potential candidate, as well as give you the opportunity to discuss salary expectations and other deciding factors about the hire.
Be patient
Hiring quickly is never the perfect aim to have. You need to hire patently and effectively as that will make sure you don’t have to re-hire for the role in the near future! The more people you want to interview, the more time it will take so try and find the balance between the two!
All in all, it’s never a good idea to focus purely on how many people you want to interview. There are so many other factors in narrowing down your candidates that the number you interview isn’t the be-all and end-all, it’s the quality of the candidates that matters. A recruitment firm are able to narrow people down for you, saving you time and effort in recruiting and leaving you to interview a group of ideal candidates for your role!
Castle Hill House