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Science Has Discovered 8 Ways You're Blowing It When Interviewing Job Candidates

Science Has Discovered 8 Ways You're Blowing It When Interviewing Job Candidates
by John Boitnott

Looking for a job is nerve wracking. The person doing the hiring is just as stressed.

Looking for a job is never easy. Candidates spend months sending out resumes and networking to land the right position, often enduring numerous interviews in the process. But job seekers aren’t the only ones who find the process painful. Many entrepreneurs and HR representatives dread hiring because they know it's hard.

If you consistently find that your ideal candidates turn down the job after the interview, it could be that your interviewing process is scaring them away. Here are eight scientifically-proven reasons your interviews could be hurting instead of helping.

1. You’re distracted by appearance.
Take a serious look at the candidates you eliminate. You may not realize you’re doing it, but studies have shown that physical appearance plays a significant role in whether a candidate is chosen for a job. You may be disregarding your next standout employee based on something as simple as a birthmark or scar.

2. You misread body language.
Hiring decisions are often made based more on what a person doesn’t say than what comes out of his or her mouth, according to one study. But you may be making assumptions based on poor posture or a lack of eye contact. Know the signs to look for when you’re evaluating someone’s body language, but also keep in mind that looks can be deceiving.

3. You’re dragging your feet.
If you’ve ever looked for a job, you know how excruciating the wait can be to hear if you’ve been hired or not. That wait is the highest it has been in years, according to the DHI-DFH Mean Vacancy Duration. In 2016, the study found that the average vacancy duration for a professional job was 26.1 working days, as employers search for the perfect candidate. Although finding skilled professionals can take time, it’s also important to realize that when you delay too long, you may lose the best candidate to a competitor.

Read full article on Entrepreneur.