Picture this! You walk in for a job
interview at your dream company and the interviewer asks you – “How many golf
balls would you fit into a school bus?” Baffled? Obviously, you were because
you weren’t prepared for it. But several progressive companies are devising
unique interviewing techniques to hire the best.
And as job-seekers, you will have to
take into consideration these changes, for the job interview scene has
undergone a major transformation.Beyond work and role, is HR now grilling
candidates on problem-solving and real-life situations? Since every employee is
expected to perform within the set parameters, HR plays a crucial role.
What happens when an employee leaves
“If an employee is unable to tackle
tough situations and is asked to leave, it hampers the whole work process till
another suitable candidate for that role is found and trained accordingly.This
affects the overall output of the company and makes hiring an expensive
process.Thus, it is imperative for HR managers to handpick employees,
especially the ones holding key positions,”explains Pritpal Kullar,
director-human resources, Max Bupa Health Insurance.
As organisations are becoming more
vigilant about whom they hire, Nihilent too, has formulated a unique approach
towards finding the right candidate.To judge a candidate’s listening skills,
willingness to explain, humility, patience, etc, he/she is asked to present
before a nasty group and see how he/she behaves.This helps in judging how
capable the candidate is in handling a difficult situation.
Human evolution can’t be taught
“We can train people in technology,
but cannot teach human evolution.This is a skill, which is inborn and cannot be
taught,” says Ravi Teja, senior associate vice president , country manager –
India and head – enterprise transformation group, Nihilent. “Today,
interviewing techniques not only test the candidate’s skill-set in a particular
domain, but they are also about gauging his/her mind-set and adaptability.There
are questions that focus on specific behavior and action; for example, what is
your recent achievement?
Or what was your recent failure and
what did you learn from it? All of these reveal personality traits of the
person that help interviewers evaluate if the person will fit in an
organisation’s culture and how he/she will deal with people around
him/her,”expresses Prashant Bhatnagar, director hiring, Sapient India.
Multiple rounds of interviews
“Some of the techniques we use are
multiple rounds of interviews and cross functional interviews, so that we can
get a wider perspective of the candidate from the organisational context. Also,
we get a better understanding of the candidate’s accomplishments and thereby an
indication of his/her potential.We also conduct ‘Behavioural Event Interviews
(BEIs)’, which helps in profiling the candidate’s suitability to the
organisation,” shares Sudakshina Bhattacharya, head HR, IL&FS Financial
Services.
At Sapient, the recruitment process
integrates a combination of recruitment techniques. “We start off with a
prescreen test, which focuses on understanding the candidate’s problem
comprehension and problem-solving ability and also their technology skills.
Shortlisted candidates then go through an attribute test to gauge their fitment
with the company’s culture and value system. It is then followed by a domain
round, which helps us understand the thought process involved in solving a
business problem using technology,”notes Bhatnagar. So the next time an
interviewer asks you an offbeat question, don’t fret. And if you are preparing
yourself for questions like,”Where do you see yourself five years from now?”,
you need to revisit your strategy.
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