5 Signs You Have an Inefficient Interview Process
The interview process is essential in determining whether a candidate is the right fit for your organization. It’s also to see if your organization is the right fit for the candidate. It’s really a two-way street. There’s no right or wrong way to interview someone. However, the interview process much like all other processes in your organization needs to be continuously evaluated for efficiency.
Which brings us to our discussion on..
5 Signs You Have an Inefficient Interview Process.
For the sake of this discussion we’ll use the interview process for a pharmaceutical sales rep in the eyecare industry as our talking point.
Takes Too Long
The typical interview process for a pharmaceutical sales rep in ophthalmology/optometry lasts anywhere from 1 to 2 months. This takes into account the initial phone interview with the hiring manager all the way to the job offer. Why does it take so long? Does the interview process need to be that long? There are many valid reasons on why it takes so long - like scheduling conflicts usually on the hiring manager side as they wear a million hats, to they feel the need or their organization requires them to interview “x” number of candidates.
Does the interview process need to be that long? No. In the case of an ophthalmic pharmaceutical sales rep all they need to be able to do is “click” with the hiring manager. Interviewing is a lot like dating. You don’t keep going out on dates with the same person to see if you eventually click. You don’t keep the same candidate(s) in an interviewing process to see if they eventually click with you..
Too Many Steps
Your organization’s interview process should be examined frequently and tweaked. Just like you would your sales team’s selling process. That’s constantly being scrutinized to see what changes can be made to maximize efficiency which leads to more business. Time is our most valuable asset and you should look to maximize it, especially in the interview process.
Your typical pharmaceutical sales rep interview in eyecare has 5 steps. Really? Yes! Given that we’re currently in a global pandemic this is how that process looks.
1st Interview - Phone interview with hiring manager
2nd Interview - Zoom interview with hiring manager
3rd Interview - Phone or Zoom interview with hiring manager’s colleague
4th Interview - Phone or Zoom interview with Human Resources
5th Interview - Phone or Zoom with hiring manager’s boss - Director, Vice President, etc.
Do all pharmaceutical sales organizations conduct all interviews virtually? No. Also, some organizations do conduct field rides as part of interview process.
Does the interview process need that many steps in order to determine whether your organization is a fit for the candidate and vice versa? No. If the hiring manager and the candidate click, and that candidate fits in with the hiring manager’s team and the culture of the organization, that should be the end of it.
Candidates Accept Other Job Opportunities
Candidates end up accepting other job opportunities because you’re interview process takes so long and has so many steps. Chances are the candidate that accepts another opportunity while in your process is your leader in the clubhouse so to speak. Not to mention you probably lose candidates to your rival competitor.
In today’s climate where the demand is greater than the supply, it’s even more important to assess and tweak your interview process as a talent shortage is in full effect. According to Forbes 69% of employers are struggling to fill positions, up from just 14% in 2010.
Your Job Vacancies Last Months
What’s the overall impact on 1 job vacancy in your pharmaceutical sales organization? Let alone multiple? The financial impact on the organization is significant from the top down. Each year the company is expected to increase revenue by a certain percentage. What that means is if there’s a vacancy for months, then you may not end up reaching your growth expectation as an organization. And what happens then? Heads roll.
Having job vacancies lasting an extended period of time signal an inefficiency in your interview process. How do find out where the inefficiency lies in your interview process? First thing you can do is see how many of the above mentioned signs of inefficiency you currently have going on. Next. We’ll get to that next.
You Have Not Adapted to The Times
What do you mean by not adapted to the times? It’s 2022 and if you’re using the same interview process you’ve used for the last 20 years, even 10 years your organization might want to re-evaluate that. Everything is shorter, quicker, faster in 2022. Your interview process needs to follow suit. For instance, stop asking candidates to walk you through their resume. Instead, ask specifics about certain parts of their resume. This can be about a product they may have sold in the past, etc. Let it be more of a 2-way conversation. See if you click.
That’s really the purpose of the interview. Anyone can do the job of a pharmaceutical sales rep quite frankly. However, not everyone is a team/organization and culture fit.
There you have it. The 5 signs your organization has an inefficient interview process.