Understand the right timing for candidate assessments and references.
What questions should you ask sales applicants during the first interview? Asking the wrong questions or doing some assessments early in the hiring process can scare top candidates. That’s why today, I want to share about three hiring filters that can be a bit premature in the hiring process.
1. Personality assessments. Common assessments for sales drive or personality fit can cause many candidates to drop out. Many of these candidates are happy in their current roles and won’t take an assessment until they understand the job better from the hiring manager. If you plan to use assessments, it’s best to wait until after the first conversation, when the hiring manager can provide details about the role and generate excitement.
“Understand the right timing for candidate assessments and references.”
2. Asking “Why Us?” in the first conversation. Candidates should have done some research before your initial conversation, but it’s too soon to ask about why they want to work there before they’ve spoken to someone about the benefits. This question is better suited for the second or third conversation.
3. References. Asking to provide professional references should be reserved at the offer stage. Most candidates currently employed and not in a rush to leave find it uncomfortable to share references before reaching that stage.
Keep these timing considerations in mind when planning candidate filters. It’s all about knowing when to ask the right questions. If you have any questions, reach out to me at (703) 955-4452 or brockboyd@cmicareers.com. I’m here to help.