Taking this into account, it is essential to use innovative practices to find and, why not, win over the good professionals in the market. It’s time to switch sides and be interviewed by the talents. And instead of opening a channel of communication only when vacancies open up and waiting for people ready for new career and employment opportunities to show up, the idea here is to schedule conversations, often even “no obligation”, and without the need to an immediate vacancy request, with the sole purpose of approaching and getting to know each other.
The call “reverse interview” it is not a new practice. Companies usually open a space during the interviews – almost always at the end of it – for the candidate to ask some questions to better understand if the company that wants to hire him has the profile he wants to work with and to clarify any doubts.
It can take a while for a company to achieve a desirable position in the market and have a reputation consistent with its values. That is why it is so essential to talk to people and show in practical cases the ways in which they solidify their policies and culture that respect professionals, that understand and promote diversity and respect each other’s history and style.
In this senseit is important to choose some “ambassadors” from each area within the company, who can participate in these conversations and be interviewed by the talents, telling in a real way what the experience of working there is like.
A survey conducted in 2021 by Cia de Talentos, with 39,000 university students and recent graduates in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, indicated that what young people are most looking for in companies are: a good work environment, professional development and quality of life. In addition, 70% of those interviewed affirm that they know the values of the organizations in which they want to work and identify with their cultures, so this is a decisive reason in their choice for the labor market.
The inverse interview becomes, then, a very useful tool to make good practices, the environment and daily routines clearer to the people that the company wants to have in its teams in the future.
Of course, the reverse interview should not replace traditional hiring processes. It is recommended as a process prior to applying for vacancies, as well as being a good way to see how professionals react to different challenges. It also gives participants the opportunity to demonstrate their interests and qualities.
So my recommendation is to listen more to our talents and potential candidates. This “exchange of roles” also helps to decide if they really want to work in the company and if they are aligned with the organization’s policies, in addition to allowing a better evaluation of the qualifications and commitment of the professionals. In addition, in this way, HR teams can go beyond traditional selection processes, maintain greater proximity with those potentially interested in working in the company and, in this way, be able to present them with opportunities more related to their professional ambitions.
Director of Talent Acquisition at Dell Technologies for Brazil and Latin America.
Source: Ambito
