Sharilyn Vandermolen, CHRL’s Post

How Can We Make Interviews More Inclusive for Neurodivergent Talent… The standard interview format can be stressful for everyone, but especially for neurodivergent individuals. By incorporating some simple practices, we can create a more inclusive hiring process that allows everyone to showcase their skills and qualifications. Here are some ways to make interviews more neuroinclusive: 1️⃣ Preparation is Key: Provide interview questions or topics in advance. This allows candidates to prepare their thoughts and reduces anxiety in unfamiliar situations. 2️⃣ Focus on Communication: Ask clear, specific questions and allow ample time for thoughtful responses. Be mindful of fast-paced conversation or interrupting. 3️⃣ Sensory Sensitivities: Offer a quiet interview space with minimal distractions. For virtual interviews, consider flexible backgrounds if bright lights are a concern. 4️⃣ Alternative Assessments: Explore alternative ways to assess skills beyond the traditional interview. Consider work samples, presentations, or skills tests. 5️⃣ Embrace Openness: Be transparent about the role's expectations and work environment. Encourage candidates to ask questions about accessibility or accommodations they may need - potentially giving candidates time prior to the interview to create a list of a few questions can reduce the stress of being put on the spot. By implementing these practices, we can tap into a wider pool of talented individuals and create a more diverse and successful workforce. If there are any ideas you have about making interviews more neuroinclusive, share them in the comments below!! #neurodiversity #diversityandinclusion #futureofwork #leadership #strategy

Finding the perfect candidate for your organization goes beyond evaluating skills and qualifications. It’s about identifying individuals who align with your company’s culture, values, and long-term goals. 1. Craft Structured Interviews Consistency: Use a standardized set of questions for all candidates applying for the same position. This ensures fairness and allows for more objective comparisons. Balance: Include a mix of technical, behavioral, and situational questions to get a comprehensive view of the candidate’s abilities and fit. 2. Ask Behavioral Questions Past Performance: Focus on past experiences and how candidates have handled specific situations. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure these questions. 3. Incorporate Situational Questions Hypothetical Scenarios: Present candidates with hypothetical situations relevant to the role and ask how they would handle them. This assesses their problem-solving and critical thinking skills. 4. Evaluate Cultural Fit Values Alignment: Ask questions that reveal the candidate’s values and work preferences to ensure they align with your company culture. 5. Use Skills Assessments Practical Tests: Incorporate skills assessments or practical tests relevant to the position. This could include coding challenges, writing samples, or problem-solving tasks. Real-World Tasks: Assign tasks that mimic real job responsibilities to see how candidates perform under conditions similar to the actual role. 6. Conduct Panel Interviews Multiple Perspectives: Include multiple interviewers from different departments to get diverse perspectives on the candidate’s fit for the role and the organization. Collaborative Evaluation: After the interview, discuss the candidate’s performance collectively to ensure a well-rounded evaluation. 7. Assess Soft Skills Communication and Teamwork: Ask questions that reveal how candidates communicate, collaborate, and handle conflict. Soft skills are often as crucial as technical abilities. 8. Follow-Up Questions Clarification: Don’t hesitate to ask follow-up questions to dig deeper into the candidate’s responses. This helps clarify their thought process and provides more detailed insights. Conclusion: Effective interviewing is both an art and a science. By using a structured approach, asking the right questions, and assessing both hard and soft skills, you can identify candidates who are not only qualified but also the best fit for your organization’s culture and goals. What techniques do you use to identify the best fit for your organization? Share your insights in the comments! #HiringTips #InterviewTechniques #TalentAcquisition #Recruitment #HR #CompanyCulture #EmployeeEngagement #BestFit #InterviewingSkills #HRBestPractices

Harvard published a list of 38 smart questions to ask in an interview. These are my personal favourites that have come in handy over the years: 📌1. What would a typical day for me in this role look like? 📌2. Job specific questions like: - what are your expectations of me in this role? - what is the most important thing I should accomplish in the first 90 days? 📌3. Questions about the team. - who will I work with most closely? What other departments will I interact with? - what types of skills is the team missing that you are looking to fill with a new hire? 📌4. Questions for your potential boss. - what’s your favourite part of working here? - how long have you been at the company? 📌5. Questions about the company. - what are the current goals of the company and how does this team support in hitting those goals? - how would you describe the company’s values? 📌6. Questions about the culture. - what do new employees find surprising after they start? - what’s different about working here than anywhere else you have worked? P.S. I find you’re more likely to get information on company culture from former staff, so find them on LinkedIn. 📌7. Questions about professional development, career growth and future opportunities. - what learning and development opportunities will I have in this role? - where have successful employees moved on to? - how are promotions handled? 📌8. Closing questions. - Is there anything else I can provide you with that will be helpful? - what are the next steps in the hiring process? Remember that interviews are a two-way conversation and an opportunity for you to tell the interviewer about yourself, and learn more about the company. If you’d like to read the full article, see link in the comments. So, What’s your-go-to interview question?

Tips for interview question: "Do you have any questions for us?" 🔑 Ask about the company culture: Inquire about the company's values, work environment, and team dynamics. This shows your interest in fitting well within the organisation and understanding how you would contribute to its culture. 🔑 Seek clarification on job responsibilities: Ask for more details about the day-to-day tasks, expectations for the role, and opportunities for growth and advancement. This demonstrates your commitment to understanding the role thoroughly and aligning your skills and goals with the position. 🔑 Inquire about the team and management: Ask about the composition of the team you'll be working with, the reporting structure, and how success is measured in the role. This shows your interest in collaboration and gaining insight into the company's leadership style. 🔑 Discuss company initiatives or recent developments: Inquire about any upcoming projects, company goals, or recent achievements that are relevant to the role. This demonstrates your awareness of current events within the organisation and your enthusiasm for contributing to its success. 🔑 Clarify next steps in the hiring process: Ask about the timeline for the hiring decision, the interview process moving forward, and any additional steps or documents required. This shows your professionalism and eagerness to move forward in the process. 🔑 Showcase your research: Mention something specific you learned about the company during your research and ask for further details or insights. This demonstrates your proactive approach to learning about the organisation and your genuine interest in its operations. Remember to tailor your questions to the specific company and role and avoid asking questions that can be easily answered through basic research. Asking thoughtful and relevant questions demonstrates your engagement, curiosity, and preparedness, leaving a positive impression on the interviewer. #btiexecutivesearch #executivesearch #recruitment #asia #apac #professionaldevelopment #ASK #interviewtips

https://lnkd.in/dwR-kp6i Thanks very much for your post. Reading this, several things strike me about how thorough organisations have to be to have answers to these questions which are simultaneous appraisals of the organisation and the applicant. The situation, more often, is that the applicant is made to appear to be on trial and applicant must prove self worthy of a place in the organisation. Questions in the Harvard bouquet will serve applicant and organisation well if answered without any side concealing information that would be useful in the future of the relationship. Ethical thresholds could be tested. I am just wondering where these deep probes will leave both parties if the applicant is not successful. Should a confidentiality agreement preface these conversations?

Stop wasting your time: Make smarter hiring decisions The purpose of an interview is not to find out: ◾   if they support the same football team ◾   if they also hate Jono from MAFS (I wish I didn’t know what that means) ◾   if they can avoid sharing their biggest weakness It is to identify the skills, knowledge and behaviour they have to assess the success they may have in your company. Here's why you should adopt structured interviews: ◾ 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘆: Structured interviews are three times as reliable and twice as valid as unstructured ones. By focusing on consistent, performance-based questions, you can make more accurate predictions about a candidate's future success. ◾ 𝗕𝗶𝗮𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Structured interviews minimise bias, ensuring a fair and objective assessment process for all candidates. ◾ 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Research suggests that candidates prefer structured interviews. They see them as fairer and more transparent, leading to a positive candidate experience. ◾ 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀: Not only are structured interviews more reliable, but they're also more cost-effective. With less training required and a streamlined hiring process, you'll save time and resources. Here is what you need to start doing: ◾ 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲: Evaluate your company and role requirements, then craft around six targeted questions for each stage of the interview process. ◾ 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮: Define what success looks like for each question, informing your rating scale for candidate responses. ◾ 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀: Involve more than one interviewer (ideally two), per round, to ensure diverse perspectives and reduce individual biases. ◾ 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸: Keep thorough notes and scores for each interview. Use this data to provide constructive feedback to candidates and establish benchmarks for future hires. I am the HR function who loves helping small organisations succeed. Contact me today to find out how we can use HR to transform your business. #interview #smallbusiness #hiring #reducedbias #HRadvice

These are handy questions to ask and be on the same page with the interviewer and the interviewee.. it will help create a bond first before you are employed 👌#activemonday #goaldriven #microsoft

Ever sat through a presentation and wondered if it truly gauges a candidate's potential? Ever prepared a presentation and wondered if it's just free consultancy? Companies often request prepared presentations as part of the interview process, but is it a true reflection of a candidate's skill set or how they approach a problem? The lack of authenticity in pre-prepared (AI?) rehearsed presentations may fail to showcase a candidate's real-time problem-solving skills. Moreover, it places undue stress on candidates, especially if they are involved in multiple processes. Instead, maybe consider unscripted, on-site presentations with a mere 20 minutes of prep time. This approach is far more common in the public sector and shows how candidates navigate under pressure, mirroring real-world scenarios far more accurately. True competence shines when unprepared. This method doesn't just benefit employers; it liberates candidates from the dread of overly polished presentations. It respects a candidate's time whilst simultaneously tapping into raw talent and adaptability — skills crucial for any role. On-site presentations with constrained preparation time offer a means to evaluate a candidate's real-time problem-solving and critical thinking effectively. This approach also helps level the playing field, as all individuals face the same constraints regardless of external resources. From an efficiency standpoint, both candidates and companies benefit. So, why not adopt on-site presentations with limited preparation time within the interview process? To remain competitive and select the finest talent, firms should reassess traditional interview strategies and maybe consider the implementation of on-site challenges. #HiringProcesses #InnovationInRecruitment #Adaptability #MarketingMoves

Behavioural interview questions with the RIGHT METHOD! ✨ As a Recruiter, one of the things I appreciate most in candidates’ answers is the use of structured methods for answering behavioural #InterviewQuestions. #BehaviouralQuestions should encourage candidates to share real-life work experiences. They often start with - "Tell me about a time," "Can you describe," or "What do you do when?" When you hear "Give me an example," it's for sure your moment to follow one of the behavioural questions’ methods.  The easiest one is #STAR and I’ll copy the link to its description in the comments.  If you want something more complicated, try my #SPARROWmethod: 🕊️ SPARROW: 1️⃣ S - Situation: Describe the situation you faced. (I was assigned to a project aimed at standardizing the XYZ process across multiple locations.) 2️⃣ P - Preparation: How did you prepare? Gather data? Assess risks? (I reached out to team managers at each location and set up meetings with their representatives to understand their operations and identify key differences.) 3️⃣ A - Action: What specific steps did you take? (I compared the processes across locations, analysed them, and identified the most efficient components in each. From there, I created a standardized process map.) 4️⃣ R - Run: How was the process organized? Did you encounter obstacles? (I presented the process in training sessions with selected testing representatives and distributed (cascaded) the process map. Some team members were initially hesitant, but I encouraged them to reserve their concerns until the testing phase was complete.) 5️⃣ R - Result (Descriptive): Did you achieve your goal? What was the outcome? (Working with testers, we successfully launched the standardized process in each location.) 6️⃣ O - Outcome (#Data), MY FAVOURITE BIT 🤓: Share measurable results—numbers matter! (Process XYZ efficiency improved by X% in terms of time saved) 7️⃣ W - Wisdom: What did you learn? How can you apply this moving forward? (I learned how to manage stakeholders from different locations and the importance of listening to everyone’s perspectives, especially regarding country-specific needs, when implementing global processes.) This method can be useful for anyone, especially senior-level professionals and managers responsible for complex tasks, projects, and programs. Would you use this method in the interview? Let me know in the comments👇 #InterviewCoach #InterviewPreparation

I'm hearing about several concerning interview trends all the time just now. These are making it unnecessarily challenging for job seekers and, I also think, employers. The tech industry has changed this year, with companies becoming more demanding in their hiring processes. While rigorous hiring practices can aid in identifying top-tier talent within a competitive landscape, they can also yield unintended consequences. Overly taxing assessments risk alienating exceptional candidates and introducing biases into the selection process. Some key issues I'm hearing about: 😓 Excessive interview stages and "homework" assignments that border on full work projects ⏲️ Lengthy gaps between interviews, leaving candidates in limbo ❌ Poorly prepared interviewers who fail to assess candidate fit effectively ⚖️ Misalignment between business needs and job descriptions 🙊 Limited or inaccurate feedback 👻 Companies no showing on candidates at interview So, what can companies do to improve their hiring approach? Here are a few quick recommendations: ✅ Prepare interview questions in advance for consistency and fairness and make sure everyone knows who is asking what to avoid repetition ⏰ Limit take-home assignments to respect candidates' time - I say 90 minutes, some say 2 hours 💡 Use real-world challenges for assessments, not hypothetical scenarios - ones you've already solved 👥 Prioritise collaborative problem-solving to assess team fit in coding challenges etc. 📝 Regularly refine job descriptions to align with business needs and make sure everyone is on the same page 📅 Create a structured interview plan and schedule slots to streamline the process 💬 Provide timely, constructive feedback to all candidates and sanity check it before sending. #leadership #hiringtips #techrecruitment #talentacquisition #candidateexperience