Interview Tips for Hiring In Demand Skills

Interview Tips for Hiring In Demand SkillsInterview Tips for Hiring In Demand SkillsInterview Tips for Hiring In Demand Skills DeZubeSuccessfully recruiting in demand, highly-skilled professionals can test even the most experienced human resources professional. Qualified candidates for in demand jobs know the balance of power is in their favor.However, you can shift the scales with the right hiring strategies, interview questions and follow-up tactics. Here are five ways that will enable you to have the upper greifhand during the interview process.1) Be More of a Matchmaker than RecruiterPeople with in demand skills know they dont have to take just any position. Whats the best way to win them over to your firm? Start with interview questions that draw out whats important to them, rather than focusing on your companys agenda.Change your mind set to that of a sophisticated salesperson who first asks questions about the customers needs, says Doug Hardy, author of Careers Interviewing.As k what particular work situations are exciting and engaging to your candidate. For example, a candidate might be in an organization where her best work is slowed or stymied by bureaucratic process. Can you convince her that your organization moves faster, with less red tape?Someone whos highly ambitious and skilled will look for a career path that puts his talents to use in a way that makes a difference, says Barry Drexler of Drexler Coaching, a New York City-based interview coach who estimates interviewing 15,000 people during his 30-year career.Asking interview questions that highlight your organizations professional development offerings, career paths and culture will help convert those candidates to employees. Here are some examplesI see you have the Top Gun certification and attend the Society of In-Demand Engineers conference every year. Are there other certifications youd like to earn? Follow up with specific information about how your firm supports employee development.Youre a project team member in your current position. Are you looking to move up to project manager? This question is a natural lead-in to a discussion about the potential for advancement.Direct questions like, How much autonomy do you have at your current organization? or indirect interview questions such as, What do you not like about your current job? create an opening to discuss subtle psychological selling points such as autonomy, effectiveness and appreciation, Hardy says.Interview questions such as, What do you value in work and what do you value in life? will help you assess if the candidate will be a fit with your organizational culture. Aligning the seekers values with their employee experience will protect the exit door.2) Take a gruppe Approach to Job InterviewsA highly-technical, in-demand job interview is not the time to fly solo, particularly when hiring for IT skills.Instead, you can improve your interviews byforming a recruiting team that includesA company advocateA tech nical expertA company peerEach person plays a specific role in the interview processCompany Advocate The company advocates role isnt to ask questions. Their role is to talk about how great it is working here and how great your manager is, Drexler says. They are your cheerleader whose goal is to get the person fired up about working for you.Technical Expert The technical expert can discuss the day-to-day work and ask the candidate for their viewpoint on a technical problem (this shows that your firm values the job candidates opinion). Technical people tend to trust people at their own level and set of skills more than they trust recruiters or HR professionals, Hardy says.The technical expert should also ask some tough questions that challenge the job seeker, says Paul Peterson, national talent resource manager for the Toronto office of accounting firm Grant Thornton LLP.You want people who want to be challenged and like to solve problems, he explains. When answered well, tough questi ons give the job seeker a sense of accomplishment and a sense that hell be stretched in the job.Company Peer The peers function in the job interview process is to help the candidate be comfortable with the team and co-workers. Be sure to prep the peer about the candidates goals they can also speak to the office environment and chat about how the job aligns with the candidates interests.At the end of the day, circle back with the candidate to ask job interview questions that give you a sense of whether the job youre offering is a good fit, such asWhat have you seen so far thats caught your interest? What are your concerns? If it looks like the candidate is not going to be happy, resist the urge to hire him just because the position is hard to fill. Highly-skilled employees who are unhappy at work find it very easy to move to another firm.3) Stay in Touch Post-InterviewWhile youre putting the job offer together, dont let a week go by without making contact, Drexler says. Theres always a reason to call, he says. Ask if they want to come in and meet more colleagues, or let them know you called their references and that youre waiting to hear back from them.4) Act FastIn-demand job seekers often get snapped up quickly, so dont let your own perfectionism slow thingsdown - keep the hiringprocess moving. Make a joboffer - even if its just a verbal offer - as soon as possible.5) Circle Back AgainWhen you recruit for in-demand positions, youre always going to lose out on a few job candidates. Continue to recruit covertly by inviting candidates to company events such chili cook-offs,pool tournaments or hackathons.The next time you have an open position, you can call to ask how they liked the chili cook-off and invite them in to talk about an upcoming project.Learn moreMinimize Costs by Reducing Time to HireInterview Questions to Ask when Recruiting Overqualified Candidates How to Interview for In Demand JobsIT Hiring and the Growing Demand for IT Skills and IT Talent