Dive Brief:
- Employers are moving away from the traditional interview, according to LinkedIn's "2018 Global Recruiting Trends" report. A majority (63%) of talent and hiring managers surveyed said the traditional interview process is ineffective in determining a candidate’s soft skills.
- When it comes to understanding a candidate’s weaknesses, 57% of respondents say the traditional interview process falls short. Recruiters have turned to several new techniques, including online skills assessments, job auditions and more.
- Diversity in hiring is also gaining awareness, but not necessarily implementation. Though 78% of respondents cited diversity hiring initiatives as important, a slimmer majority of them (53%) have "mostly/completely" adopted diverse hiring measures.
Dive Insight:
Employers are looking for candidates who work well with others, manage change and have passion and curiosity — all qualities that are difficult to gauge in a traditional, sit-down interview. Employers increasingly report looking for soft skills in new hires, even in STEM fields.
In addition to talking about experience and background, interviewers gains insight into the candidate’s character traits. Some employers might choose a situational interview — meeting a candidate for breakfast and arranging for the order to be delivered wrong, for example. Such experiences allow recruiters to see first-hand how the candidate will perform in an authentic social environment, though they may also put off potential employees.
As employers look for innovative ways to save money and time by finding the right candidate the first time around, these trends around hiring tech are likely to continue.
