Employers with bad interviewing skills need to improve
if they are to successfully attract talented applicants in
acompetitive job market, a recruitment
firm says.
The IT skills shortage is making it difficult to get the right
staff, and poor interviewing techniques are exacerbating the
situation.
Gary Ashworth, chairman at Interquest, said a major issue for IT
job candidates is the interviewing skills of potential employers,
who put them off with poor personal skills.
Managers should receive some training on how to quiz candidates,
and learn how their approach can affect whether or not their offer
of a job is accepted.
He said, "I wish line managers would spend more time skilling
themselves in the
interview procedure. Companies that are being more
sophisticated about the recruitment process are having a better
time in terms of filling jobs."
He added that, while interviewing may appear to be a simple
skill to master, managers still need to take some time to do it
properly. One problem is that interviewers are often not linked to
the project the candidate will be working on, and do not ask
detailed questions to ascertain their suitability for the work.
"Sometimes the manager is not linked to the programme or project
the candidate is applying for, and won't ask them anything related
to it. It tends to be worse for contract staff than permanent
staff.
"It is quite clear to some candidates that some companies don't
really have any interviewing skills, and haven't received any
training in simply asking people questions.
"We're not manufacturers in the UK anymore, and since human
capital is such a big expense for companies it's worth being more
sophisticated in the way we are hiring people."
Ashworth added that poor management of staff doesn't always end
with the recruitment process, and said better appraisal processes
should be put in place in some companies.
"Many people I speak to left a job because they felt they
weren't progressing enough. Companies need better reviews of
how people are getting on."