Would you be willing to hire someone without an interview?
June 13, 2018
By Brian Maynor
We’ve all had sleepless nights worrying about an upcoming job interview, not to mention experiencing stress and anxiety as we prepare for it, but what if there was a better way to make hiring decisions that skipped them all together?
Just because the practice of successfully completing a job interview, or series of interviews, is ingrained in our professional psyche doesn’t mean they are the most accurate when it comes to selecting the best candidate for the job.
After examining 85 years of data, Frank Schmidt and John Hunter found that job interviews actually don’t provide much valuable information at all on that front. In fact, this study found three main points to support the idea that we should abandon the practice all together.
Here’s a breakdown of those points:
1. Interviews only provide limited value in predicting performance. Defenders of the job interview argue they are necessary in order to assess a candidate’s skills, personality, competencies and other traits like cultural fit, but in reality they only provide about 4% more insight than other tools like resumes, psychometric tests, previous performance ratings and practice situations.
These tools may seem cold and detached, but they are actually more accurate, quicker and cheaper than interviews when it comes to measuring these values. The only real step they omit is the chance for the candidates to talk about themselves and provide their interpretation to the results.
2. Interviews introduce toxic data. In addition to not supplying the information they should provide, interviews tend to give us a lot of information they shouldn’t. When candidates are given the opportunity to interpret data and offer explanations, they often cause the interviewer to focus on their flaws and less desirable qualities instead of their positive ones. Interviewers are only human after all, and that means we all have built-in biases that lead us to assumptions and opinions that could be incorrect.
The best way to escape these inherent biases is to remove the human factor all together and let a computer or standardized test collect and assess a candidate’s potential.
3. Interview performance does not equate to job performance. Interviews are designed for candidates to present their ‘best selves’ in a controlled, artificial environment and convince the interview it is authentic. In other words it’s image manipulation or simply acting, and that skill is relatively useless when it comes to predicting job performance, unless the position is in sales or customer service.
This fact is very similar to why we don’t get married after the first date. One brief interaction is not enough time to really get to know someone or predict how well we could work together as a couple.
Even if the idea of completely abandoning the practice of job interviews is a dream, the least we can do is shift their importance and role to what they are best suited for, giving candidates the opportunity to learn about the company and position without being evaluated, tested and assessed. Leave that role to the other tools that do it better, faster and cheaper.
I’m always excited to hear from you, so please email your questions, quandaries and conundrums to [email protected].
About Brian Maynor
Brian Maynor has built a reputation as one of the leading style coaches in the Southeast and is quickly expanding his eponymous company, BRIAN MAYNOR and his FIND, FLATTER & FLAUNT line of image consulting services. A professional with a fresh, upbeat and down-to-earth personality and boundless creative energy, he works frequently with with local celebrities; Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit organizations; modeling agencies; fashion designers; production companies; record labels; media and individuals. A regular contributor to various fashion blogs and online communities, Brian Maynor is one of the most trusted and recognized style experts in the region, utilizing his education and training as a broadcast journalist to serve as a style lecturer, emcee, and commentator for over a decade. He has appeared at fashion shows, expos, and charity fundraisers, as well as events with big brands like Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Chico’s and Macy’s. His approach is innovative, creative and fashion-forward, balancing fresh, modern styles with classic pieces to keep one’s look grounded. To learn more, visit http://www.brianmaynor.com.
