As is the case with most things in the 21st century, leaders in the technology industry such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft are often the benchmark for what other companies should be doing in terms of innovation and creativity. For instance, Google and Apple have both recently remodeled their Silicon Valley offices to reflect a hippie commune of sorts. So how do we, as “regular” companies and leaders in the business world adopt some of these practices and follow the leader in innovation to have a successful approach to business practices? Let’s start with a piece of the puzzle that is manageable and relevant: hiring practices.
When looking at the methods by which these companies hire, it seems a top notch HR leader at Google has crafted a new plan of action for hiring quality every single time. Instead of allowing interviewers to make snap judgments within the first 10 seconds of the interview and follow up with routine questions that basically solidify that first judgment, Google has developed an interview method that allows for a deeper look into the candidate’s capabilities.
Here’s how to do it!
Bring different players to the game. Invite subordinates and cross-functional employees (outside of the department you are hiring in, nothing to do with the day-to-day functions of the open position) to be a part of the interview panel.
- Set a high bar for quality, and don’t compromise. Ever.
- Assess candidates objectively. By including new players (see #1 above) and requiring the interview panel to take good notes, you can then revisit the employee post-hire and see how things are going from an objective standpoint that correlates directly to the interview experience to see how valid your interview panel is in assessing a candidate’s job capabilities once hired.
- Give candidates a reason to want to be part of your team! Make it clear why you do the work you do, and expose the candidate to a variety of team members so that they can get a peek into the company culture as well.