Unconventional Interview Formats

Hiring the wrong person for a job wastes time and costs your company a lot of money, so it's important to develop a good interview process. The right process can help you identify the best candidates and eliminate candidates who would not fit in with your company's culture. Many recruiters are moving away from traditional question-and-answer interviews and using some unconventional interview methods. Use one of these methods in your interview process to see if you can find better employees.

Limiting the number of questions you ask a candidate can result in a more successful interview. Asking candidates to give short answers instead of lengthy ones can also help you find the best people for your company. Some recruiters are using Twitter interviews for this very reason. Asking questions and soliciting answers via Twitter forces candidates to give concise answers, helping you determine which candidates are the most effective communicators—which is especially helpful if you're interviewing someone for a job in communications, media, or public relations.

Some human resources professionals are taking the interview process out of the office and interviewing candidates while golfing or sharing a meal. This is a good way to assess a candidate's social skills and manners. How a candidate behaves during a golf game can also give you a good idea of whether that person is competitive or a team player. Candidates can relax during this type of interview process, giving you the opportunity to see how they behave when they're not in a formal interview setting.

If you're looking for an employee who thinks quickly in high-pressure situations, try asking math questions during the interview. Most candidates will anticipate basic questions about their skills and work experience, but many will not expect to answer math questions in the middle of the interview process. If sudden math questions fluster candidates, they may not be the best choices for high-pressure positions. If you use this technique during the interview process, make sure you ask very simple questions—more difficult problems are not appropriate for non-math positions.

A good way to test flexibility is to ask the candidate to conduct the interview. Instead of asking questions and expecting the candidate to answer, the candidate will ask you questions. The most confident candidates will quickly adjust to this interview method, giving you the opportunity to determine which person will be the best fit for your company.

Traditional job interview techniques do not always identify the best candidates, so it's important to constantly review your recruiting results and tweak the interview process to suit your company's needs. Use these unconventional methods to identify the most talented employees and fill open positions quickly.

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