Interview Archives - Blue Signal Search

6 Mistakes that Lose Candidates in the Interview Process

May 13, 2022 by Lacey Walters

In today’s job market, candidate experience is everything. In order to find and acquire the best of the best talent, companies must learn how to market themselves as employers. Unfortunately, many don’t know where to begin. With this shift from employers having their pick, to being a candidate-driven market, mistakes are being made that are costing employers good candidates.

With the power in their hands, candidates are prioritizing their wants and needs. Flexibility is now a necessity – in both working hours and working models, whether that’s remote options or 4-day work weeks. Candidates crave independence – they want to be given tasks and trusted to carry them out with minimal oversight. Last and certainly not least, benefits, perks, and compensation are paramount. 401K matching, covered healthcare for dependents, and unlimited PTO are becoming essentials in employee offerings.

Today’s candidates are well-informed. They know what employers are capable of offering their employees, and won’t settle for less than what they want. This makes the interview process crucial. It’s a company’s first impression, and can make or break a new hire depending on how it’s handled. To arm yourself and your company with knowledge, it’s important to know where the process breaks down and how to fix it. Based on Blue Signal’s own research, here are the top six interviewing mistakes, and how to avoid them.

#1 – Lengthy or Overly Intensive Application Process

61% of poll respondents said that the top reason they dropped out of the interview process was because it was needlessly long and/or intensive. This is an all-too-common mistake. Sometimes employers have a candidate attach a resume, then route them to their in-house applicant tracking system that has them manually fill in all of the same information. Others send applicants through rigorous rounds of interviews, where candidates find themselves repeating the same answers to interview questions, just to different hiring authorities.

The solution is simple. To avoid the mistake of losing candidates at the application stage, keep the process short and sweet. Invest in software or platforms that can parse and auto fill forms from a resume’s upload. Leverage more intuitive ATS systems. Weed out underqualified applicants on the front end by adding qualifying questions that allow you to skip over those that don’t meet the minimum requirements. Finally, make sure to organize and structure your interview process. Give your hiring managers the right questions to ask, make sure they are sharing their notes with the next round of interviewers, and give them the authority to cut people out of the process without wasting anyone’s time.

#2 – Not Getting True Insights From Interviews

21% of respondents cited that the interviews themselves were the problem. Many people felt as though the interviews lacked true insight into the role; that the process just went through the motions rather than forming a connection. Interviewers were using cliché questions that didn’t help qualify or disqualify candidates, and the candidates could tell. It seemed as though the information these queries provided were unhelpful to inform a hiring decision, since these candidates would leave only to be called back and repeat the process all over again.

To avoid these common mistakes, the interview process should always be tailored to the role. Streamline by cutting out the fluff. For instance, if it’s a technical role, consider making an early stage of the interview process some sort of comprehension test. You don’t need to ask how they work on a team if the role isn’t collaborative. And unless the role will be reporting in through HR, it’s okay to wait to have the candidate meet with the HR Director till after they are extended an offer of employment. This method saves time, and gets right to the point!

Also, be sure to arm your interviewers with strong interview questions that help provide true insights into the candidate’s capabilities. Oftentimes, leadership isn’t trained on interviewing best practices and are left to guess at it. Once they are given the proper tools, assign teams of 2-3 people to be decision makers and empower them to make the final call. This way, there won’t be too many cooks in the kitchen when it comes to picking who to hire.

#3 – Inaccurate or Incomprehensive Job Descriptions

Next, we found that 13% of our LinkedIn audience stated that inaccurate or incomprehensive job descriptions made them bow out of the interview process. Your job description is an applicant’s first insight into your company culture, the job’s responsibilities, and is a huge tell for how you will perform as an employer. Worse yet, candidates that are in the interview pipeline may later find that the job description they read online has little to do with the role their interviewers are describing – causing deep distrust and almost certainly a candidate falloff.

To sidestep these job description related mistakes, make sure that whoever creates the job posting is working closely with the hiring manager. The understanding of the role, the department, its leadership, and its main goals should be one and the same. The job description should accurately represent the needs of the job so that a candidate can make an informed decision when applying, interviewing, and accepting a job offer. The more comprehensive these main points, the better prepared and aligned the applicant pipeline will be.

Actually, job descriptions should be seen as an opportunity for employers. They give you a chance to brag about your company and teams, and should make a candidate eager to join. Not to mention, the last thing you want is to start back at square one when it comes to a hire. Nothing could be worse than a candidate showing up on their first day – after all that time, money, and resources put into their acquisition, onboarding, and training – only to be surprised at the actual job in front of them. Reduce your turnover; improve your job descriptions.

Flow chart including 6 questions and solutions of mistakes

#4 – Impersonal Communication

Many respondents also noted that the impersonal communication surrounding the interview process turned them off to prospects. Copied and pasted scheduling invites come across lackluster, and don’t compare to a thoughtfully written note. Especially in larger organizations, hiring messaging can treat people like numbers, and come off almost robotic in tone. As talent acquisition teams communicate with their large applicant pool, a lot of heart can be lost in translation, and can leave a candidate wondering, is this how it would feel like working for you, too?

By tailoring communications to the candidate, you can avoid these common mistakes. Use their names every chance you get. When passing them along to someone else in the process, make sure to give warm introductions. If possible, reference things that may have come up in conversation or things that stood out to you in their profile. A simple, “Hey – how was that kayaking trip you said you had planned for the weekend?” or, “wouldn’t you know it, my spouse went to the same college as you!” can go a long way. By giving them the same courtesy as you expect in follow up and thank you notes, personalizing communications can strengthen your interview process.

#5 – Lack of Transparency

Unfortunately, several candidates feel that there is lack of transparency in the interview process. Leftover sentiment from the employer-driven job market has affected candidate management into today, where employers feel the need to safeguard their offerings. Leaving compensation, benefits, and policies out of job postings leaves too much room for speculation, and results in a lack of trust in a potential employer.

As it stands, employers must start adding these elements to their job postings to remain competitive in the hiring market. Not only is pay transparency legally required in many states, it will also give companies better aligned candidates whose pay expectations are met by the job at hand. If your compensation range is out of the candidate’s target, it’s unlikely they’d make it past the compensation conversation anyway.

Additionally, it’s important to destigmatize candidates asking questions surrounding benefits during an interview. It’s typically seen as taboo or bad form when a candidate asks about benefits, time off, workplace policies, and perks during an interview. However, it doesn’t all need to be a test. This could be a deciding factor for many potential hires. At any given time, active candidates may be entertaining more than one opportunity. Many people have strong must-haves in these areas – especially those with families, differing healthcare needs, and those looking to retire. By being transparent with benefits, employers can make sure their offerings align with a candidate’s needs early on in the process. It will attract those who fit the bill, and cut out those who don’t. In essence, this is just good time savings.

#6 – Putting Too Much Emphasis on Culture Fit

Finally, it’s important to avoid mistakes made in the name of “culture fit.” Our audience cited several instances where in an interview, they got the sense that if they didn’t fit into the culture, they wouldn’t get the job. Because it seemed as though the role would be awarded due to popularity, and not on merit, it made these candidates shy away from the company altogether. Essentially, hiring managers may lose out on excellent hiring opportunities just because they are looking for someone who fits their team’s mold.

Many employers probably don’t even realize they are making hiring decisions based on unconscious biases, but unfortunately the idea of “culture fit” has perpetuated this bias time and time again. To avoid these types of mistakes, it’s good for hiring authorities to instead look for opportunities to “culture add.” Hiring people just like you, with identical backgrounds to those already on the team, will result in stale and recycled ideas. This can unwittingly result in a sounding board rather than a diverse-thinking team. To ensure your company continues to innovate, make sure to hire for culture add. Instead of mirroring the existing culture, these candidates will bring diversified experiences, which can lead to fresh new ideas!

Learning and Growing from Common Interviewing Mistakes

All in all, the overall lesson here is to treat prospective hires as though they were already on board. Respect their time, get on their level, and cut to the chase. Candidates are assets! Treat them well and they will bring success. Don’t, and you may lose out on your next great hire.

Competing in today’s candidate-driven market can be tricky. Invest in your employer branding, and that value will return 10-fold in the clients you’ll attract. Not sure where to start? Recruiters are the best marketers when it comes to the candidate audience. Working with a recruiter is a great way to boost your employer branding, break into the marketplace, and expand your reach. Contact Blue Signal today to see how we can help you navigate the interview process.

So You Just Got Rejected, Now What? 5 Steps to Ace That Next Interview

March 30, 2022 by Lacey Walters

Rejection is painful no matter how it happens. Getting rejected from a job is no different. Just like dating, it might have been due to a bad first impression or maybe they lost interest and ghosted. Whatever the case, bad interviews or disappearing interviewers, getting rejected from a job isn’t the end of the road.

Getting rejected from a job is nothing personal. Interviewers are just doing business! Regardless of the circumstance, rejection puts you in a great spot to learn. After being rejected from a job, you can always follow these 5 steps to ace that interview and land that next great job:

Ask for Feedback
Identify and Understand Why it was a Mismatch
Leverage Your Support System
Don’t Stop the Job Search
Leverage External Resources

Asking for Feedback after Being Rejected

Unlike after a bad first date, asking for feedback is perfectly acceptable interview etiquette! It might be a sore subject, but it can really help you dial into things to change for your next interview. Indeed has a great template for how to respond to a job rejection email that you can leverage to ask for feedback.

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While you may not have landed the job, following up and asking for feedback will show incredible levels of professionalism. Not to mention, the ability to learn and adapt are both excellent qualities in an applicant.

Better yet, the interviewer’s response can give you specific action items to address in the next steps of your job search journey. In the end, getting rejected could turn into your best tool for improvement!

Identify and Understand Why the Role May Have Been a Mismatch

Unfortunately, it’s commonplace for an interview to not live up to a candidate’s expectations. Job descriptions often don’t portray the intricacies of the role or the culture of the company. Perhaps this was your experience – the job looked good on paper, but when you were in the interview room you realized the job wasn’t what you thought it would be.

For example, lots of “marketing” jobs listed with marketer titles online are actually sales roles in practice. If your strong suit is in analytics and SEO, make sure that you don’t end up in an advertising sales interview by reading between the lines of the job posting to fully understand the role. They may have posted a “Marketing Specialist” title but listed requirements like negotiation skills and the ability to communicate clearly with end clients.

Be sure to refine your search to target jobs that are a better match when it comes to the functions of the role, not the job title. Then, prepare to speak to your qualifications as it pertains to those functions. You’re much more likely to succeed in an interview for a job you’re perfectly aligned for. And in the case where you end up in an ill-fit interview, getting rejected may end up saving you from a bad job!

Leverage Your Support System

Getting rejected can be a pretty sizable blow to anyone’s confidence. Restore it by practicing in a safe space! Reach out to trusted friends or colleagues to help you prepare for the next interview. Run through some mock interviews and have them ask you common interview questions. This usually includes staples like:

What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Why should we hire you over other applicants?
What is your biggest accomplishment?

Better yet, review the questions you were asked in your last interview so you can be ready in case they come up again in the future. After each answer, discuss your responses together and get feedback on ways to optimize.

Most everyone has a bad interview story, so getting rejected from a job is very likely an experience you and your friends share. Ask them about their past interview experiences and try to learn from their own mistakes and triumphs. At the very least, share a good laugh about it!

Their input can be even more beneficial if they happen to work in your same industry or practice area. If they have experience as the interviewer themselves, ask them what they typically look for when assessing a candidate. What have they seen that you could try and replicate? What should you avoid? You may be surprised to hear what their indicators of success are!

Don’t Stop the Job Search – Turn Rejection Into Motivation

The worst thing you can do after being rejected from a job is stop trying. Keep applying for positions and the odds will be in your favor. It's a simple rule of numbers – the more roles you apply for, the more likely you are to receive an interview. Like the old saying goes, you can’t win if you don’t play.

While you’re applying, be sure to continually optimize your resume. Each application should have its own personalized resume that’s tailored to the role. Some jobs may put greater emphasis on certain skills than others, so display them accordingly before you hit submit. Over time, your resume should adapt to the needs of the market. For instance, if you’re in an interview and an interviewer asks you a question that’s not answered by your resume, make sure to add that info in for next time! You may be surprised to see what skills you omitted or past experiences you forgot to add that end up being applicable.

If time allows, take all the interviews you are offered. Jumping right back in after getting rejected may make the next interview daunting, but it’s good practice! Even if you aren’t 100% sold on the role, you may find that when the stakes are lower you’re able to ace it. Recreate that first impression environment and polish your strategies along the way. The best way to work through interview jitters is to acclimate!

Leverage External Resources

Just like dating, there are many fish in the sea when it comes to job opportunities too. Just because you missed one doesn’t mean the search is over! There are resources out there specifically designed for people in your situation. Resume and Career Services is a perfect place to start. They offer interview preparation tips, resume writing tips, and more in a subscription-based service that’s self-paced and sure to provide value to your career well past the interview stage.

Recruiters are a similar indispensable tool. If you’re able to work with a recruiter for a job opportunity, leverage their expertise when it comes to applications, interviews, salary negotiations, and career planning. Good recruiters will work to represent you and advocate for your best interests, all while coaching you through the job search process. Blue Signal works with clients to find perfect matches for their open positions. Apply to any of our jobs today to see if you’d be a good fit, and go from rejected to hired!

Are Executive Recruiters Worth It?

February 23, 2022 by Lacey Walters

Addressing Common Misconceptions About the Value of Talent Acquisition in the Hiring Process

It’s Q1 and you’re working with a new hiring budget for the year. You have a lot of hires you need to make, and may be overwhelmed with the state of the market. Maybe you’ve considered engaging with a talent agency – but you’re uneasy. You’re asking yourself, are executive recruiters worth it? You want to protect your money, but also your time. You’re nervous about the transactional stereotypes surrounding bad recruiters, and are hesitant to take the leap.

All of these common questions and concerns are totally reasonable. Being curious and calculated is just good business! Let Blue Signal set the record straight and help you determine if hiring a recruiter would make the most sense for your current search.

Job Ads Are Free – Why Should I Pay a Recruiter to Find Applicants?

Chances are you’ve posted your open role online somewhere. Your results are mixed – and you’re either getting flooded with ill-fitting candidates or have received next to no applicants. You wrote the job description to the best of your ability and are stuck. You’re left wondering how paying a recruiter to “do the same thing” will help.

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This is one of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to recruiting. Executive recruiters are able to add value to a search even before sending you resumes. Successful professionals leverage relationships with recruiting firms to stay on top of their industry, and gain insight into the market before it changes. By employing a specialized recruiter in your industry niche, their social media following and network of professionals gets your open req in front of the right audience at the onset.

Simply put, leveraging a recruiter when advertising a role ensures access to their fine-tuned network of professionals. Talent acquisition firms are built on applicant tracking systems (ATS), and take years to properly build out. With this log of qualified talent, working with a recruiter gives you access to both active talent – or applicants looking to make a move – as well as passive talent, i.e. people who aren’t necessarily looking for a job change.

Passive talent is usually succeeding in their current role today, giving you access to top performers that you may have otherwise missed. Additionally, recruiters have the experience and insights needed to help separate the value from the fluff. For example, specialized IT recruiters know what certifications will help you in your modernization and business transformation journeys, and HR recruiters will know what certs are needed to keep those projects all on track. They’ll be able to judge resumes and CVs accordingly, and only send you the best of the best.

Perhaps you know what you are looking for but are unable to advertise a role or target the candidates you truly want. By leveraging a recruiter, you are able to confidentially conduct searches and have a middleman representative between you and competitors in your space. This opens doors to more hiring possibilities! By allowing a recruiter to market your role, you’re keeping your reputation intact among your own customers and peers.

In fact, marketing a role is half the battle. Executive recruiters are master marketers, and know how to best sell a candidate on an opportunity and employer. Because talent acquisition is a fine balance between B2B and B2C sales, recruiters know just how to address the wants and needs of their B2C clientele. The candidate experience is just as important to your own process when hiring in a candidate-driven market, and recruiters are trained to navigate it daily. They will deploy different strategies – attracting particular industries, professions, even generations – to get you the candidate you need.

Moreover, the talent acquisition world is changing daily. Executive recruiters have access to and are constantly working to master new technology in this space, especially as it surrounds job ads and applicant tracking. Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and automation are making an impact within talent acquisition just like every other industry. As the digital landscape of recruiting continues to evolve, recruiters will play a key role in supporting their clients as they learn new technologies, counteroffer techniques, and recruiting strategies to keep them ahead in the 2020s.

Okay, But I Can Screen Applicants – Why Should I Have a Recruiter Interview My Candidates?

Interviewing applicants is much more involved than a 30-minute phone call. Recruiters can help you manage all the moving parts. They will screen CVs and conduct the initial candidate intake for you, ensuring that the candidates that make it onto your calendar are prequalified for the position. Then, they offer support through the entire process – including interview coordination, reference checks, candidate management, and salary negotiations. Executive recruiters act as project managers throughout the interview process, prioritizing success for all involved.

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With candidate retention guarantees, it doesn’t benefit a recruiter to make a match that won’t work and then in turn, have to start the process over. Recruiters are invested – and your success is their success! When leveraging a recruiting firm with placement guarantees, you protect your investment for the first 12 months of their employment.

However, you’ll never make a hire from an executive recruiter without determining fit for yourself. A recruiter can help there, too! Executive recruiters know what questions to ask to uncover information, and can help coach you through the interview process.

Understandably, candidates tend to open up to recruiters differently than they would to a potential employer. With information coming from a 3rd party, they may trust recruiters’ input more than information coming straight from an employer, too. Because executive recruiters also represent the candidates’ best interests in the hiring process, they are able to uncover the candidate’s true drivers, must-haves, and qualifications. Whether it’s supporting long-term career goals, aligning core values, or negotiating pay – a recruiter can properly suss out a candidate’s needs.

Let’s use the compensation example. To be considered for the role, a candidate may feel like they have to give hiring managers an agreeable answer, rather than being forthcoming about their true financial needs. Alternately, they will tell recruiters their honest salary expectations and a recruiter can represent them accordingly. If they are out of your budget, they can move on with no time wasted. If they are, both parties can move forward knowing that they are well matched while maintaining traditional interview etiquette. No more losing out on candidates at the final offer stage!

That Does Sound Promising, But Why Do Executive Recruiters Cost So Much?

It does seem counterintuitive to save money by spending it to bring another party into the hiring process – but the proof is in the results. So much so that most executive recruiters will actually work for free, and will only bill you once a placement has been made. Let’s break down that value-add.

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The majority of hiring managers are not solely responsible for hiring. Because of their normal duties, how much time are they feasibly able to contribute to the hiring process? And how much does that hinder their official responsibilities? In 2020, upper management and C-suite positions took 20% of companies more than 3 months to hire. In one study, 67% of respondents said it takes between 30 minutes to 2 hours just to schedule one interview. To cover for an absence in the team, write and post a job description, review applicants, schedule interviews, conduct interviews, and to actually make a hire can take up approximately 100 hours of a hiring manager’s time per hire. Meanwhile, a recruiter’s entire 9-5 is devoted to a search. This can reduce your team’s time spent by about 70%.

Additionally, hiring a recruiter can offer exponential cost savings. 76% of hiring managers admit to recruiting the wrong candidate for a role, essentially making at least one bad hire per year. According to the US Department of Labor, the average cost of a bad hire is up to 30% of the employee’s first year compensation. This can result in as much as $240K depending on the role and company. When you also consider a 12-month placement guarantee, a recruiter fee seems like a fair investment to ensure your new hire pans out. Employing a recruiter helps lessen your chance of a costly bad hire.

Finally, a recruiter’s expertise offers immeasurable value in a search. As experts in your industry niche, they will be able to provide insights into the market and your competitors’ movements that you won’t find online. They can define typical salary ranges for roles spanning several industries, locations, job functions, and skill levels. As hiring professionals, they are constantly in the business of knowing what companies are hiring, what companies are losing talent, and why. Executive recruiters are able to represent candidates without you “poaching” from your network, allowing access to otherwise unobtainable talent. The list goes on and on.

Ultimately, Why Should I Work with a Recruiter?

As a 30-second elevator pitch, we could talk about how executive recruiters help you save time and money. However, the real value comes from what executive recruiters bring to overall business strategy. They can help inform you about your industry’s movements, what your competitors are doing when it comes to hiring, trends you should be aware of, and changes in the market you should prepare for. Successful recruiters provide companies with more than a warm body for an open job.

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When considering whether or not to take a recruiter’s call, consider the value of a long-term partner. A good recruiter will help advise you no matter how long it’s been since a placement was made. Having access to these insights is just good business, even when you’re not actively hiring. Recruiters share their clients’ successes, and are passionate about making these matches. After all, recruiters change organizations – as well as people’s lives and careers! – for the better.

When it comes to selecting a recruiter, make sure to engage with relationship-based recruiters that are invested in the future of your company. At Blue Signal, we’ve set out to disprove the bad industry reputation that has resulted from transactional recruiting methods. As your partner in the process, we hope to make a long-lasting connection that benefits your organization beyond filling a role.

Become a Dominant Hybrid Workforce by Leveraging Your Recruiter

October 27, 2021 by Lacey Walters

In this digital age, many companies are turning to virtual recruiting to help supplement an increasingly remote and hybrid workforce. Several top companies have started the switch, recognizably Ford, Citigroup, Microsoft, and Spotify. With the pandemic driving an immediate need, we’ve accelerated global digitization on a large scale. However, it’s leading many in management to question how going remote will affect productivity, profitability, and their workforce.

When it comes to employees’ wants, the message is clear. According to Dice’s 2021 Technologist Sentiment Survey, 59% of respondents preferred full-time remote work or some combination of in-office and remote work. Dice theorizes that the events of 2020 have given several professionals a new outlook on remote work, and in turn they have come to expect more flexibility from employers. Furthermore, Dice estimates that 149M new technology jobs will join the market by 2025 to support this digital shift. So how can companies make the switch to a hybrid workforce - especially among a market with such exponential growing need? That’s where virtual recruiting can help.

Dominant Hybrid Workforce - Employees Expect Flexibility

Choosing a Hybrid or Remote Workforce - What Recruiters Can Tell You

As a Hiring Authority

Several studies have proven that employing a hybrid workforce has had a positive impact on productivity, as well as significant money savings. From a hiring perspective, the greatest benefit of all comes from hybrid workforce models opening up the candidate pool to independent talent. By widening your search parameters and allowing people to telecommute, you can tap into a candidate pool that would have been inaccessible otherwise - whether that’s due to geography or time commitment constraints.

We know what you’re thinking - managing a remote workforce during 2020 was nothing short of an immense challenge - why would we go back to that? Contrary to popular belief, most of the struggles workers experienced during pandemic-era remote work aren’t a hindrance to actual remote work. For instance, with children going back to in-person learning settings, professionals no longer need to balance work with childcare during their normal 9 to 5. Not to mention, in this increasingly competitive marketplace, allowing hybrid work could be the key to better retention. In the talent acquisition industry we know that it’s not the setting that makes or breaks a good employee - it’s the employee themselves, and their drive to succeed. Those who do remote work right can do it well.

As an Employee

Hybrid work models offer a plethora of benefits for workers, when the job permits. Several noteworthy pros include and better work/life balance. But if you were to ask a recruiter, they’d tell you that the most important benefit remote work gives you is location independence. Where would you live if you could take your work with you? The possibilities are only limited by the reach of your Wi-Fi! Simply put, negotiating hybrid or remote work options into your employment contract can give you more freedom in how and where you spend your time, and a recruiter can help support you on that journey.

Building Your New Talent Brand as a Hybrid Employer

Once you’ve decided to take the plunge and allow hybrid work, your next step should be toward solidifying your employer brand as a hybrid workforce. In order to attract the digitally savvy candidates you are looking for, you’ll have to meet them where they’re at. Focus your online presence on attracting candidates, especially those Gen Y (Millennials) and Gen Z professionals. Hybrid work models appeal greatly to the next economy-leading generations, which works out well considering they are the ones who were raised in the digital age. Leverage your recruiters to help you navigate this market. As talent specialists, we have the insider knowledge needed to hack into that hybrid-seeking candidate pool.

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Things to Consider When Supporting a Hybrid Workforce

New Hiring Processes

Just as with many areas of work changing to accommodate this digital shift, hiring is following suit. Make sure you are prepared to tackle this new process before beginning your talent searches. Do you have the right tools to recruit remotely? What are your new interview timeframes, when you counter in a mix of in-person and virtual interviews? Are you prepared to negotiate remote work structures when you make an employment offer?

Candidates are ready to ask for what they want when it comes to hybrid working. Your business needs to have offer letter structures in place that reflect what you need from which roles when it comes to hybrid work, such as: how often someone is required to be in office, what their working hours should be when working from home, and what the expectation is when it comes to completing various projects associated with the role. Your needs can vary in flexibility given the scope of the role you hire. Leverage your recruiter to ensure none of these details slip through the cracks, and make expectations clear from the onset.

New Onboarding Processes

Establish what your onboarding process will look like for new hybrid hires. Will initial training be in person? What will you provide for their remote office workspace, and what will they need to provide on their own? What kind of support can you give employees when they’re working remotely, such as IT, mentorship, HR contacts, etc.? It may be hard to visualize what you need ahead of time, but ask your recruiter for what practices would best fit your work model.

New Remote Company Culture

When allowing employees to work from home, it’s easy to forget that you are quite literally entering a new part of their lives. Even with virtual backgrounds and pre-scheduled meetings, you’ll be immersed in their home lives by “meeting” them in their own living rooms. This doesn’t need to change the professional dynamic of your reporting relationship, but it’s important to remember when building out this new remote company culture.

Even when working in-person, it’s a simple fact that most full-time professionals may be spending more time with their coworkers than they do with their own spouses and kids. Now, that same time is spent virtually! Therefore, it’s important to be real with your workforce in this setting and maintain that same bond that you would in person, over the computer or phone. Create an atmosphere of mutual respect that acknowledges the reality of working from home, and trust that they’re on task even when you can’t knock on their office door to check in. For more best practices on keeping a remote workforce actively engaged, ask your recruiter.

Fine-Tuning Remote Business Processes

Make sure to leverage opportunity when it’s presented to you. For instance, your newly hybrid workforce may be available to customers in different time zones, expanding the hours in which you’re accessible. Processes that were once manual may be able to be digitized, like submitting reports or internal communications.

Your recruiter can confirm, a hybrid workforce can come with some unforeseen advantages. However, knowing ahead of time what can and cannot be digitized will help you determine how often you need your employees in the office or remote. According to the Dice 2021 Technologist Sentiment Report, more than half of respondents indicated a preference for full-time remote work or a combination of in-office/remote work, while just 17% indicated they would prefer to work in an office 100% of the time. In Dice’s Q4 2020 Salary Survey, participants said they desired 2-3 days in-office per week - thus confirming that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating remote workforce plans. Consult with your recruiter on what best aligns the market’s wants with what you’re willing to offer potential employees.

How a Recruiter Can Help Build Your Hybrid Workforce

In the age of digital recruiting, there are several recruiters out there who specialize in procuring and supporting remote workers. Do your research and pick a hybrid workforce recruiter that you can partner with on your quest to dominate your new working model. A good recruiter will be able to coach you through the virtual hiring and onboarding process, a great recruiter will be able to take the hybrid interviewing off your hands. They will know how to best access the hybrid talent pool, and will provide search services catered to your unique search. Once you’ve found who you want to hire, your recruiter can impart best practices for an awesome, flexible office culture.

The world of employment is changing, and employers will need to adapt to remain competitive. Make sure to choose a plan that’s best for you by hiring a hybrid workforce recruiter that can deliver your hiring goals. As specialists in this space, Blue Signal can give you this and more on your way to becoming a dominant hybrid workforce.

How To: Negotiate a Flexible Schedule During a Job Interview

October 6, 2021 by Aylish DeVore

Updated research shows that 55% of global businesses offer some capacity for remote work. Since the pandemic, workers have been redefining work/life balance and targeting opportunities with a flexible schedule. It has now become extremely important for companies to loosen the reins on what a typical employee’s work schedule and location look like.

Remote work, hybrid schedules, increased and/or more relaxed PTO options, and unconventional working hours are just a few types of common flexible schedules job seekers are looking for in today’s job market. It’s critical for employers to cater to these common requests and present job opportunities as negotiable when it comes to a flexible schedule. Doing so will also grab the attention of those passive candidates who currently have an ideal flexible schedule, and aren’t looking elsewhere for fear of not having that same flexibility in a new role. For those looking to make a career move but will require an atypical schedule or work environment, we’ve laid out a few ground rules on how to tackle the discussion with your hiring manager. Read on for tips on how to sway the conversation in the right direction and negotiate a flexible schedule during the interview process.

Make a Plan:

The first step in the process is to map out a detailed plan to present to the company and/or hiring manager you’re interviewing with. Start by reflecting on your personal must-haves and differentiating between your nice-to-haves when it comes to the flexible schedule you want. Next, clearly map out how this flexible schedule would work logistically. Be prepared with an answer for all common situations or questions that may arise. When building your case, make sure to gather personal data and specific experiences to share. These will give real-life examples of how and why you’d be successful in this type of flexible schedule. Also, be sure to ask yourself if what you’re proposing makes or breaks whether you accept the role. If a flexible schedule is a “nice-to-have,” be sure you aren’t presenting it as an ultimatum. When drawing up your plan, be sure to compare your request to the insight you gather through past interview discussions. Then prepare for questions/concerns based on those findings.

Prepare to Compromise:

After you process what terms in your work schedule and expectations are must-haves and what are nice-to-haves, start preparing to compromise. In most negotiations, the end result will tend to include some sort of halfway point between both parties. Prepare for what you’re willing to give up so you don’t end up agreeing to terms you aren’t happy with. Though you’ll be hoping your ideal flexible schedule can be achieved, go into the conversation with a few revisions to the proposal in your back pocket. We suggest preparing at least two alternative options to present. These will be useful in case the initial ask is too far off from the company's standard routine/comfort zone. If the employer is skeptical, a great compromise strategy is to suggest an initial trial period. This helps set both parties at ease. It gives you the opportunity to prove your ability by showing how successful you can be working a flexible schedule. With this deal, the employer won’t feel any pressure to commit to a permanent change.

Assess the Situation

Your next step in preparation should be to assess the situation and evaluate who you're negotiating with. Does the company you’re applying for embrace forward-thinking principles that align with a flexible schedule? Or do they encourage the traditional 9 to 5 work schedule? When the floor opens up for you to ask questions, take advantage of diving deeper into this topic. Present strategic questions to be answered that will give you further insight into their working culture and outlook. Questions surrounding what the typical working day looks like, whether you will be given portable equipment/computer, if you’ll be required to access emails outside of the office, as well as what it’s like interacting with team members and cross-functional departments. These questions usually lead to insightful responses from the interviewer that you can dissect.

Another topic that will help you gain further insight is asking about COVID-19 protocol. See how the company handled moving to a remote or flexible schedule. Ask how this may have changed their outlook on work, and the success it may have had for some departments. In most cases, the hiring manager’s facial expressions, tone, and body language will tell the whole story.

Present the Discussion:

Be absolutely sure to only present or mention the discussion around a flexible schedule after you receive an offer letter. This will ensure there is no animosity or negative inclinations when the employer is making their final hiring decision. When presenting your case, clearly map out what the options would look like. Ensure you're communicating your ask in a confident and positive way. Touch on how this flexible schedule will benefit them as an employer and as a company. This will help shift the focus from your personal needs.

As mentioned before, this is the time to use tangible data. Prove how you’ll be successful in an unconventional working environment. With any negotiation, remember to stay practical, not emotional. Leave your ego at the door. Don’t let pushback or skepticism throw your confidence. Keep a level head throughout the discussion and continue working toward a result you’ll both be happy with. In closing, reassure your continued commitment to the company. Share your appreciation for the job offer, and excitement to be successful in the role. Afterward, consider sending a thank you note!

Confirm the Consensus in Writing:

Though we’re sure companies will have the best intentions in mind, it is always important to get the discussion result in writing. You never know what kind of communication can get caught behind the scenes. It’s always best to cover your bases. A great way to do this is to kindly ask them to update the offer letter. Have them include the flexible schedule agreement you came to in your discussion. This protects both you and the company as it will include terms and conditions like initial trial periods and timelines. This will set expectations for progress reports down the line to discuss how it is going. This means no one will be caught off guard when the follow-up discussion is presented. Your manager will also stay diligent in monitoring how your flexible schedule is working throughout that trial time.

The typical working environment of 9 to 5 in the office is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Though it is still possible for a company to reject the idea of working remotely or offering flexible hours. Be prepared for this outcome and, if it happens, don’t get discouraged. This is why mapping out your must-haves early on in the process is important. This will help everyone come to a decision that they’ll be confident in long term. If you’re unable to reach an agreement and a flexible schedule is on your must-have list, it’s most likely not a great fit overall. In the end, the most important thing is to trust your gut. Understand your needs when it comes to choosing your next employer. As always, reach out to Blue Signal for any further guidance on how to facilitate conversations with hiring managers and negotiate terms that are beneficial to both yourself and a potential employer.

Blue Signal Success Stories, Client Testimonials

May 5, 2021 by Lacey Walters

Over the last nine years, Blue Signal has worked with hundreds of clients in various industries, successfully executing over 2,250 searches. With over 200 years of combined recruiting experience, we have found that supporting others in fulfilling their goals is the most rewarding part of the job. We love the opportunity to help others in any way we can, whether it be supporting our community, finding the perfect candidate for a role, or providing insights on a recruitment strategy. While our numbers speak for themselves, hearing those success stories and getting positive feedback from our clients is what truly makes our job worth it. Blue Signal is humbled by these testimonials we’ve received, and we appreciate each and every review.