Sagar Bhardwaj, Head of Procurement Heads’ Consumer practice, shares his thoughts on how to conduct a good interview process.
“The interview process will be really straightforward.
“It will just be a simple 15-stage virtual interview followed by a quick six-stage face-to-face with three short presentations to our Founder’s cat to round it all off.”
A poorly planned interview process hugely impacts an organisation’s ability to successfully hire talent.
And with a continuation of the tight procurement talent market, what can hiring managers do to ensure they are in control?
Have a game plan.
7 Steps of a good procurement hiring process
- Is the role signed off?
Often, hiring managers will seek to get ahead of the curve and get the ball rolling on a process, however, if the sign-off process takes a little longer than expected, candidates can (understandably) feel uneasy about how serious a business is about hiring. What’s more, with the Procurement sector being so candidate-led at the moment, businesses are being judged on how engaging their recruitment process is. First impressions count!
- Have you advertised internally first?
Sometimes what we really need is right under our noses the whole time! The opportunity to promote internally is a great way to retain talent and remind the wider business that they don’t need to leave to progress. If after an internal search you feel an external hire is needed, then you can approach the market with a clear focus for your new hire.
- Are job descriptions ready?
With the speed at which the procurement recruitment market is moving, candidates are regularly choosing from two to three offers, it’s essential to ensure candidates have all of the information they need to research and engage with your business throughout the process to guide their decision-making.
- Do you have a clear vision of what this individual needs to do?
When interviewing, your questions must be tailored to the skills you need. The right candidate will be engaged and excited by an opportunity if they leave an interview knowing exactly what they’re needed to do and whether their skillsets and progression plans align with your team and business.
- Do you have a recruitment partner you can trust to be your eyes and ears on the market?
The right recruitment consultancy is an extension of your business in the open market, you need to have peace of mind knowing that you and your team are represented the way you want to be. Having a recruitment partner you can trust to truly understand your requirements from a technical and cultural aspect is essential to sourcing and engaging with the best talent.
- How efficient is the interview process?
Gone are the days of a 7 stage interview meeting every team member and their pet. Candidate experience of a smooth, engaging and efficient interview process demonstrates an organised business and ensures the positive momentum remains! Clients do a great job of building rapport and exciting candidates, don’t let that hard work go to waste.
- How engaging is your interview style? Interrogating vs Conversating
An interview is a two-way street, businesses need to understand that the candidate is choosing them as much as they are a candidate. The best candidates want to enjoy an engaging and insightful conversation about the business, team and role. The challenges, the culture, and the hiring manager’s management style all come across in these engaging conversations and these are often the real dealbreakers when candidates are choosing a potential employer.
Efficiency is the keyword.
We’ve found that procurement and supply chain candidates often judge companies on their interview process.
No nasty curveballs, no surprise guests, and no one-month gap between the first and ninth interviews.
Remember – the interview is a two-way street, leave people so impressed they become cheerleaders of your brand.
Candidates are like customers – what are you doing as a hiring manager to ensure the best customer experience?
If you are looking for support with your next procurement recruitment campaign, contact Sagar and the Procurement Heads team on 01962 896838 for a no-obligation conversation.
