We recently started a series of weekly questions on our LinkedIn page called Wondering Wednesday. These questions take the form of anonymous polls to encourage honest participation and allow us to gain varied insights into the employee/employer experience.

For the month of September, we focused on the hiring process for both prospective candidates and hiring managers. No matter which side of the table you’re on, both interviewer and interviewee should factor these insights into your interviewing and hiring process.

The #1 Thing Job Candidates Should Avoid Doing

When we asked companies about red flags for them in the interviewing process, the overwhelming response was when a candidate has no questions. This was ranked higher even than a candidate being late to their own interview; it seems that tardiness is more forgivable than a lack of demonstrated interest. Job candidates should be sure to put a lot of thought and effort into coming up with good questions. Not sure where to start? Research the company you’re interviewing with and use that information as a starting point. You can tailor your questions accordingly to find out more about what their day-to-day work looks like, how the hiring manager sees your role fitting into that picture, what growth opportunities there might be, and so on. Make sure you have questions for each person you interview with, and customize your questions based on their role. Remember that you’re interviewing them while they’re interviewing you!

The #1 Thing Hiring Managers Should Avoid Doing

On the flip side, for job candidates, the biggest red flag is an interview process that takes 3+ hours. Such lengthy interviews can lead to a poor candidate experience in which they’re answering repetitive questions, growing fatigued, and investing a good chunk of time into a position they may not even land. Employers should therefore find ways to streamline the interview process and be thoughtful about how much time they’re taking up for the candidate. A good rule of thumb is that the length of an interview should be commensurate with the role being interviewed for – for example, an entry-level job should have a much shorter interview process than a VP-level job. To shorten the interview process, you could consider doing panel-style interviews, which allow you to include more people in the process while taking less time. 

The Best Way to Attract Job Candidates

When we asked candidates what they prioritized when considering job opportunities, they overwhelmingly chose flexibility over an excellent benefits package. This feels particularly relevant in today’s post-Covid landscape in which companies are pushing employees to return to working in the office. Employers should put careful thought into where and how they can add flexibility for their employees, not only  to attract but also to retain talent. Even if your employees return to the office, think about what could be a reasonable amount of flexibility within that framework to help set you apart from other employers. For example, if you require 2-3 days per week in the office, you can still provide  flexibility by allowing employees to shift their hours earlier or later or to choose which days of the week they go into the office.

The Win-Win

Finally, we found that the majority of companies that are actively hiring are notifying applicants within 1 week of application if they’re not a fit and will not be considered for an interview, but some companies are lagging behind or not notifying applicants at all. Hiring managers should ensure timely responses to applicants in order to allow candidates to focus their job-hunting efforts elsewhere. This means setting aside time to review applications right away, even if you haven’t had a chance yet to set up interviews with your top candidates. This can feel overwhelming – particularly for a job ad that receives hundreds of applications – but luckily, there are many hiring websites and software options that allow you to set up automated responses so that when you mark a candidate as not qualified, it will automatically notify them. Make sure you leverage existing tools that make your life as a hiring manager easier; it’s a time-saver for you, and it’s a relief for job applicants.

Want to participate in the conversation or see the results for yourself? Head on over to the HR Solutions At Work LinkedIn page, where we post a new poll every Wednesday!