Why Aren’t We Finding the Right Candidates? A Faulty Interview Process Story

Issue: 

A private equity firm needed to hire leaders and executives for their portfolio companies. The PE team would get through the process, whittling down to a few final candidates, before presenting them to the firm’s founder. After reviewing the resume and having a conversation with the candidate, the PE founder would say to the team, “No, absolutely not.” The team was stumped. They had spent all this time vetting candidates, only to have them disqualified at the very last minute. 

Investigation: 

In speaking with the team and founder, clear themes emerged: 

• There was no consistency - each candidate was getting different questions, making it harder to compare candidates. 

• The founder was not brought into the process until the very end. 

• Notes were not passed from interviewer to interviewer, leading to repeat questions and a poor candidate experience. 

• Decisions were largely based on vibes, not a measurable scorecard to consistently and objectively evaluate candidates. 

Solution: 

Armed with the information from our conversations, a clear, consistent process could be created. The process was designed to optimize everyone’s time (PE team and candidates) and make objective hiring decisions. 

1. Align on Role’s Critical Needs

1. A framework was created for the job descriptions. The initial draft was to be shared with the PE founders to ensure they were aligned with the needs of the role. 

1. This lets the recruiters and team filter for the right qualifications and experience up front. 

2. Identify the portfolio company’s culture and add descriptors to the job description.

1. This helps candidates identify if this company is a good fit for their personality and work style. 

2. This also gives a framework to measure interview responses and determine fit with the company and existing team. 

2. Optimize Interviews

1. Created thorough interview guides for each stage of the process.

1. Consistent interviews allow for better data collection and comparison across candidates. 

2. Each interviewer knows what they’re asking and can avoid duplicating questions another interviewer already covered. 

2. Share notes across interviewers.

1. Sharing notes allows each interviewer to have the background information already gathered, helping them feel informed and able to focus on their phase of questions.

3. Create Scorecard

1. Measure candidates against objective data points to avoid biased decisions.

2. Each interviewer can score and compare at the end, offering a clear agenda for discussing and evaluating candidates in the final rounds. 

3. Get Additional Data

1. Assessments

1. An assessment process provides objective data to overcome the bias that often comes from interviewing alone. 

2. Everyone has development areas - get a clear roadmap of what support a new team member will need to be successful right from the start. 

2. Reference Checks

1. Similar to candidate interviews, a standard set of questions for each reference check conversation offers clear information for easier comparison. 

2. Guidance for creating tailored questions based on questions that came up through the interview and assessment process. 

4. Carrying It Out

1. Training

1. To make sure everyone is aligned with the new process and knows how to carry it out, training sessions were held for the PE team and founder. 

2. Accountability

1. Now it’s time for the company to put in the work to make sure the team is following this process. 

3. Evaluation

1. After the process has been used across several searches, it’s time to revisit. Have the initial challenges been addressed and resolved? Are there new challenges that have come up? What is working well? What improvements could be made to enhance the process further? 

If you’re encountering a similar challenge, contact us to start a conversation. We’d love to help you through creating more efficient processes for your team.