38 AUGUST 2022 ARCADIANEWSARCHIVES.COM W ith unemployment rates relatively low, employers are still struggling to find and retain great talent. The huge jumps in inflation and the changing landscape is incentivizing employees to consider switching jobs and prioritize themselves and their quality of life more than in the past. With this backdrop, it’s surprising that employers have not updated their hiring practices. Did you know that employers expect candidates to go through up to ten rounds of interviews for certain jobs? Many companies use testing and some ask candidates to do unpaid work. These same employers are blown away when candidates turn down their job offers or walk away midway through the process. Job seekers are discerning, and they expect to receive the same level of respect that they’re giving. It’s not uncommon for an employer to ask a candidate to reschedule an interview at the last moment due to a conflict. But if the candidate asks to reschedule an interview, they will likely never hear back. This is unfortunate, considering the candidate is usually secretly interviewing while working at their current job. Many interviewers will grill candidates to try to squeeze them during the interview. In many cases, this is to see how the candidate responds under pressure. But rather than simply getting a read on the candidate, the candidate is also getting a read on the company. They will walk away, remembering what a negative experience it was to interview there. Employers leave candidates in the dark for weeks or months during the hiring process. The candidate is expected to patiently wait until the company is ready. In reality, the candidate is moving on. They will keep interviewing at other companies until they find one that truly values their time. When you’re the hiring manager, you want to have control over picking the best candidate you can find. When you treat a candidate in a less- than-desirable way, you’re giving up that control. The only candidate who will be interested in your job is the desperate one. So what should a hiring manager do? Be quick. Take weeks – not months – to make a hiring decision. Be clear with your communication. Commit to meetings. Do not put the candidate through never-ending rounds of interviews. Don’t grill candidates. Interviewing has become a two-way street. To hire the best candidates, you must give them the best hiring experience. Otherwise, they’ll find someone who will. Interviewing for successful outcomes Career Corner Career Corner Career Career expert and founder of Copeland Coaching. copelandcoaching.com BY ANGELA COPELAND At Covenant Child Care’s “Baby Water Day,” the idea seemed to be to “get as wet as possible!” The cool water babies pictured are (from left) Jessa Gragg, Gregory Herman and Jesse Moore.

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