Almost everything we do today when it comes to work is controlled from behind a computer screen. The speed and efficiency of email has completely changed organization and interactions in the workplace, and the process of recruiting and hiring employees is no exception. The concept of a printed and delivered resumé is somewhat foreign now that online job boards, websites like Monster.com and Workopolis.com and “email only” resumé collection have become the norm.
Meeting face to face with candidates is often left to the end of the hiring process and sometimes skipped altogether. This saves an astronomical amount of time and makes the screening process much more consistent and methodical, but is it an altogether better approach to hiring?
Time saved from sifting through hundreds of printed resumés and booking several days’ worth of interviews is a major factor in favour of eliminating face time when hiring. But heed the warning that the old fashioned face-to-face meeting cannot and should not be completely replaced during the hiring process. Its value stands above and beyond the newer and more appealing electronic processes.
In-person meetings and interviews foster stronger engagement and connection versus a simple exchange of emails. Stronger engagement increases the chance of identifying major issues or discovering desirable traits. Face–to-face meetings also tend to be more memorable. Given the volume of email processed each day, it is much easier to remember and prioritize candidates that you have physically sat across from than those with whom you’ve conducted an email exchange.
The kind of insight gleaned during in-person interviews extends beyond a simple confirmation of facts stated on the resumé. The candidate’s posture, body language, tone of conversation, promptness, dress and general demeanour often sway an interview in a positive or negative direction regardless of resumé content and qualifications. So much subtlety is lost in online and phone communication.
Despite the instant allure of email communication, sometimes information exchange done in person can actually be stronger and faster. The simplicity of a one-time, brief conversation can eliminate the need for a constant string of back and forth over phone or email. The pace and direction of the interview can be controlled by you.
Finally, the act of meeting in person can be energizing. Face-to-face interviews offer a change of scenery for both hiring managers and job seekers and interactions that may bring about interesting conversation, a good sense of personality and energy or positive tone. The chance to speak about your company or the position directly to another person offers the chance to express important messages on the spot, which is never a bad thing to practise.
Although an argument can be made that organizing and hosting face-to-face interactions during the hiring process takes a lot of time and energy, some simple tactics can reduce inefficiencies and ensure that in-person meetings can remain an option. Prioritizing candidates that qualify for in-person interviews, planning a structure for each interview and determining a concrete goal for the outcome help to ensure that time and energy will not be wasted.
A combination of the use of online and email application processes paired with a thorough in-person interview or screening process will garner the best and most sustainable hiring results. Despite our complete reliance on computers, there is nothing that can truly take the place of a good old handshake at times. •
