Finding the Best Fit: The Importance of Correct Interview Process

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Any organization's success depends on its ability to recruit and select employees, but this is particularly true in customer service sectors like contact centres, where the calibre of the workforce directly affects client satisfaction. Effective interviews may assist in locating people who will not only perform well but also fit into the corporate culture, according to my experience as a contact centre manager. This blog will go over the significance of tailoring interview strategies to various tasks, the need of flexibility, and the reasons why, in some circumstances, a more uniform strategy could be preferable.

Why Interviewing Techniques Matter

The interview is an essential component of the hiring process since it allows the company and the applicant to assess one another. Studies reveal that a candidate's job success can be reliably predicted through well-conducted interviews. Schmidt and Hunter's (1998) meta-analysis, for instance, discovered that structured interviews have a high validity in predicting job performance. But concentrating only on structured interviews might not always provide the whole picture, particularly in customer service positions where communication, adaptability, and soft skills are essential. 

Success in contact centres and other customer-facing positions requires more than just technical expertise and experience; soft skills and cultural fit are also essential. Behavioural interviews that centre on prior experiences can be especially useful for evaluating interpersonal abilities, according to a study by Dana Rad (Rad et al., 2017) However, these interviews should be used in conjunction with other methods that replicate real-world situations.

My Preferred Approach: Simulated Calls and Informal Discussions

Using simulated call activities followed by a casual talk is a highly successful technique to evaluate candidates, based on my experience managing customer service teams. With this method, we can assess a candidate's hard and soft talents in action and determine whether they fit into the culture. Here's why I believe this approach is so effective:

1. Realistic Job Preview: Through simulated calls, candidates are exposed to the kinds of real-world scenarios they may encounter on the job. We can assess our candidates' ability to think quickly and under pressure by giving them tasks like handling customer complaints, giving information, or navigating difficult conversations. Research supports this by demonstrating that situational judgement tests (SJTs), in which applicants manage made-up work scenarios, are a good indicator of how well they will perform on the job (Strahan et al., 2005)
   
   
2. Cultural Fit: After the simulation, I normally strike up a casual discussion with the candidate. This aids in determining how well they would mesh with the group and our corporate culture. The candidate might use this opportunity to ask questions and determine whether they think they would thrive in the workplace. Long-term employee satisfaction and retention are contingent upon cultural fit, as demonstrated by research conducted by Cable and Judge (1997) (Cable & Judge, 1995)
   
   
3. Two-Way Evaluation: This method enables both the company and the candidate to determine whether the relationship is mutually beneficial by providing a realistic overview of the role and the culture. As a result of getting a personal look at the work, candidates are less likely to have unrealistic expectations, which is a prevalent problem in customer service professions and can result in high turnover rates. According to a study done for the health industry, this is useful for assessing non-academic skills (Webster et al., 2020)

Adapting Interview Techniques to the Role

While informally conducted conversations and simulated tasks are a great match for customer service, other roles may call for more specialised interviewing methods. As an illustration:

• For Technical Roles: To assess the specific abilities required for jobs like software development or IT support, coding tests or technical problem-solving activities can be more relevant (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998)
  
  
• For Leadership Roles: Candidates' ability to lead teams under pressure can be inferred through behavioural interviews that concentrate on decision-making, conflict resolution, and prior leadership experiences (Anna Luca, 2019).
  
  
• For Creative Roles: It may be more appropriate to evaluate candidates' innovative thinking and creative processes through portfolio evaluations or case study presentations. This article articulates by providing industry specialist feedback - here  

Organisations can obtain more pertinent information about a candidate's potential performance in the post by customising the interview process to fit the requirements of the position.

Making the Case for a Standardized Process

There are justifications for occasionally adhering to a standardised interview procedure, even if a variety of interviewing methods can be quite successful in identifying the best candidates for particular positions. For example:

1. Equitable and impartiality: By guaranteeing that every candidate is asked the same questions and assessed according to the same standards, structured interviews provide the main benefit of reducing prejudice (Brennan, 2020). This is particularly crucial in big businesses where diversity and inclusion are maintained by making sure everything is fair and consistent.
   
   
2. Efficiency: A standardised method can expedite the hiring process and shorten the time to hire in high-volume recruitment situations, such as contact centres with seasonal employment requirements. According to research, evaluating candidates according to a standard set of criteria speeds up the process and lowers the possibility of making bad hiring decisions (Pettersen & Durivage, 2008).
   
   
3. Reducing Prejudice/Bias: Structured interviews can lower the risk of legal disputes and assist assure compliance with employment rules in regulated industries. Organisations may prove they are adhering to fair and non-discriminatory recruiting processes and minimising prejudices by having a transparent, documented process that applies to all candidates. (Bergelson et al., 2022)

Conclusion

Building great teams requires careful recruitment and selection, especially in customer service professions where success depends on both technical proficiency and cultural fit. As I've seen through simulated calls and casual conversations, tailoring the interview process to the requirements of the position can offer a more complete picture of the candidate's fit. But there are advantages to following a set procedure as well, particularly when hiring is done on a large scale or when efficiency and justice are crucial.

In the end, it all comes down to finding a balance between consistency and flexibility. More inventive methods can work well in positions where soft skills, flexibility, and cultural fit are crucial, such as customer service positions. A standardised and structured hiring procedure may be preferable for tasks requiring a higher level of technical skill or when hiring on a large scale. The most effective hiring practices are flexible and equitable, giving the company a strong foundation upon which to build a talented workforce.

References

Schmidt, F.L. and Hunter, J.E. (1998) the validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232564809_The_Validity_and_Utility_of_Selection_Methods_in_Personnel_Psychology. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232564809

Rad, D. et al. (2017) a novel fuzzy scoring approach of behavioural interviews in personnel selection, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342657995_A_Novel_Fuzzy_Scoring_Approach_of_Behavioural_Interviews_in_Personnel_Selection. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342657995

Strahan, J., Fogarty, G. and Machin, M. (2005) Predicting performance on a situational judgement test, https://www.researchgate.net/. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228503303_Predicting_performance_on_a_situational_judgement_test_The_role_of_communication_skills_listening_skills_and_expertise 

Cable, D. and Judge, T. (1995) The Role of Person-Organization Fit in Organizational Selection Decisions, https://www.researchgate.net. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/37149505_The_Role_of_Person-Organization_Fit_in_Organizational_Selection_Decisions (Accessed: 13 October 2024). 

Webster, E.S. et al. (2020) Situational judgement test validity for selection: A systematic review and meta-analysis [Preprint]. Available at: https://asmepublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/showCitFormats?doi=10.1111%2Fmedu.14201. 

Schierholz, M. et al. (2017) Occupation coding during the interview, OUP Academic. Available at: https://academic.oup.com/jrsssa/article/181/2/379/7069989#397428599 

Anna Luca, H. (2019) Tell us about your leadership style: A structured interview approach for assessing leadership behavior constructs, The Leadership Quarterly. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1048984317308147#s0145

Brennan, J. (2020) ‘one size fits all’: The impact of a standardised recruitment processon employee engagement in the Public Sector, NORMA@NCI Library. Available at: https://norma.ncirl.ie/4887/

Pettersen, N. and Durivage, A. (2008) The structured interview: Enhancing staff selection. Québec: Presses de l’Université du Québec. 

Bergelson, I., Tracy, C. and Takacs, E. (2022) Best practices for reducing bias in the interview process - current Urology Reports, SpringerLink. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11934-022-01116-7