{"id":92560,"date":"2023-10-24T12:48:48","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T12:48:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harnham.com\/?p=92560"},"modified":"2023-10-24T12:48:48","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T12:48:48","slug":"why-adding-an-additional-interview-is-risky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harnham.com\/why-adding-an-additional-interview-is-risky\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiring for Data: Why Adding an Additional Interview is Risky"},"content":{"rendered":"

In today\u2019s economic climate, organisations have been keeping a close eye on budgets, and because of this, headcount sign-off has become harder to get. This has started to influence the way that tech companies are approaching recruitment or hiring for data roles. <\/p>\n

For example, Ross Henderson, Director and Head of Harnham\u2019s Netherlands branch, has noticed a growing concern among hiring managers and companies to find \u201cthe right fit,\u201d and as a result, many have started to add an extra \u201csurprise\u201d interview stage at the end of their recruitment process, after a candidate has completed the specified interviews they were initially prepared for. <\/p>\n

While it\u2019s understandable that companies and hiring managers feel the need to ensure their new hires are a good match, Henderson explains why adding an extra interview stage at the very end of a hiring process can be detrimental, and may actually deter top-tier talent from joining your team.<\/p>\n

Three Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Add an Extra Interview<\/h3>\n

Below, we share three reasons why adding an extra \u201csurprise\u201d interview can be a risky move, and what you can do instead to gauge a candidate\u2019s fit without putting them off the role.<\/p>\n

Reason 1: Increased chance of losing the candidate to competition<\/h4>\n

The longer you drag out an interview process, the more opportunity you are giving your competitor to approach your interviewee. The best candidates are typically being approached about multiple roles, and the time added to your hiring process gives more time for other businesses to complete their process, sell their roles, and make offers. <\/p>\n

Reason 2: Decreased candidate experience<\/h4>\n

Candidates often make assumptions about the reason for adding an extra stage. They may come to the conclusion that your company is disorganised, that you aren\u2019t sure on their application or their fit, that you\u2019re holding out for a better candidate, that their expertise is being used for consultancy experience, or the company isn\u2019t serious about the hire. Often, these are unfounded, but based on conversations with candidates, these things come up and can taint the candidates experience and their perception of your organisation.<\/p>\n

Reason 3: 50% of candidates said it \u201cputs them off\u201d of a role<\/h4>\n

We turned to our network of thousands of data professionals on LinkedIn, and ask them via a LinkedIn poll<\/a> how they felt about an extra stage being added to an interview process after completing the number of interviews specified at the beginning\u2014of the 1,300 respondents, only 5% said they liked it, while 78% said they either felt put off by it or hated it. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As the data shows, there\u2019s a very high chance that adding an extra interview will give a candidate a negative impression of your organisation, and the reality is there are better ways to thoroughly screen a candidate to ensure the right fit. <\/p>\n

Ross\u2019 Recommendations<\/h3>\n

Of course, there are scenarios where an additional interview is unavoidable. However, there are steps you can take to ensure your candidate\u2019s experience is as smooth and streamlined as possible:<\/p>\n