It all seemed to go so well – or so you thought. You found the ideal hire for a difficult to fill role. The candidate gave the perfect interview and seemed a good fit. And yet, three months later you are staring at their resignation email. Where did it all go wrong?
A number of surveys have found that around 30% of new starters will leave their jobs within the first 90 days of joining. That’s a startling number. Given that a decision to start a new role is such an important one for candidates and employers, this suggests the process, at least for many, clearly isn’t working. Could the role of the interview be more effective? We think so.
The impact of early leavers
We’ve seen this phenomenon referred to as ’90 day wonders’ in a recent Forbes article. The real wonder is why there isn’t a better way for both sides to find out what they are really getting into. As well as the wasted time and effort, turnover is expensive in terms of replacement costs and lost productivity. It can be particularly problematic at leadership level where a swift departure can send the wrong signal to employees and the markets.
So, are interviews the worst possible way to find out if someone is right for the job? And if they are, where can improvements be made?
The pitfalls of interviews
Done well, interviews are the ideal two-way opportunity to get to know a candidate, assess their capabilities and likely performance. Candidates also get to ask their own questions and that helps them either confirm their interest or decide to opt out. In reality interviews are a snapshot in time and you’re left wondering what’s under the surface. It’s relatively easy for a candidate to rehearse their way into what looks like a good interview.
For others, interviews can be terrifying and nerves can mask what could be an excellent candidate. Introverts, those who experience social anxiety or awkwardness and people with neurodiverse conditions can make great employees, but interviews run the risk of their potential not coming across. People who don’t perform often lose out as the interview process fails to discover how good that candidate might have been.
A better way to find the right fit
We think there are better ways for employers and employees to get to know each other and work out if there’s a good fit. We’re not suggesting you do away with interviews – but we do think organisations can greatly improve their recruitment process. And the better the process, the greater the chance you’ll keep new hires for longer than 90 days.
Here are a few ideas to do this:
Spend time together: Half hour interviews really don’t give you the chance to find out what someone is really like. You need to spend time together discussing substantive issues relevant to the role. People can’t ‘pretend’ for extended periods of time, and this is beneficial for both employer and interviewee to make sure they are going into this with their eyes open.
Avoid ‘false’ situations: For example, typical assessment centre situations favour the ‘performers’. Instead set up situations where people can engage fully with the type of work you would expect them to do. Discussion forums on key topics, putting forward suggestions and ideas, using near to real life case studies are all better ways to find out about people.
Be crystal clear about the role: Sometimes a candidate will be too focused on your questions to ask their own. This can result in the interview not covering as much of the actual detail as they should. Lack of clarity or a feeling of underwhelm is one of the main reasons a new hire will leave. Set clear expectations at interview so they know what they are committing to.
Recruit to fit your values and culture: Recruiters and hiring managers can over focus on the ‘perfect candidate’ in terms of their capabilities and experience, but are they going to fit your culture? Use the interview to sound out their values and whether they’ll be aligned to yours and look out for any red flags. You can always train new skills; you can rarely make it work when there’s a clear mismatch of values.
Encourage neurodiversity-friendly recruitment: You may gain a better idea of the capabilities of neurodiverse candidates by testing for technical skills rather than focusing on the social skills of a conventional interview, which they may find challenging. Likewise, they may benefit from some quiet time and an area to compose themselves before interview.
Live up to your employer proposition: Candidates will be attracted to what they see and hear about what it’s like to work for you. The reality has to live up to the expectations set by your job adverts, careers site and what you say on social media. If you talk about your commitment to work life balance and wellbeing in the interview but the reality is the opposite, your new hire won’t be around for long.
Pay attention to what happens outside of the interview: How does the person interact with the recruitment team, personal assistants, front of house staff? Pay close attention to how candidates treat people who are not perceived to have power. It’s a pretty good indicator of any underlying behaviour traits you’d rather not have in your organisation.
Invest in the best onboarding experience: Onboarding is when you – and your new hire – really get to know each other. A new recruit is going to stay because of your people, not because they’ve read your employee manual. So, help them build social connections, introduce them to your leaders and help them feel they’ve made the right decision. Remember that similar to the interview process, any new hires with neurodiverse conditions may find the social aspects of onboarding overwhelming. In their case, online or one to one onboarding may be more suited.
Ask for feedback on your candidate experience: The more you can find out from your candidates the better, and this includes those who decide not to join at interview stage. What didn’t they like about the experience? What concerns did they have? Likewise, for those that decided to leave soon after joining – why was that? Was there a mismatch between expectations and reality? Gain their insight into their experience so you can focus on improving your process for future new starters.
In conclusion
Accepting a job offer is only the start of your employee’s relationship with your organisation, and that decision is heavily influenced by the interview process. If the reality doesn’t match the promises made or the candidate fit just doesn’t work with your culture, the end result is often starting again. So, we think interviews need to be more than a snapshot in time. They need to do a better job at finding what are, after all, the people that your organisation will need to thrive. You’ll only manage to do that if your new hires last the distance.
