Some people believe that there are more appropriate options for hiring people than an interview. I partially agree with this idea due to several key factors. However, interviews still help recruiters better understand the interpersonal skills and technical proficiency of the people they will hire.
To begin with, there are some drawbacks to using interviews as a primary recruitment tool. Firstly, candidates might feel nervous during interviews, which can prevent them from optimally showing off their true abilities. This increases the chance of rejection despite their qualifications. Moreover, interviewers might be creating a bias about who they are comfortable with or know, thereby compromising their acceptance to the hiring process. For instance, a study about human resources management found that interviews can lead to unconscious bias in the recruitment process, which significantly impacts the overall procedure.
Nevertheless, interviews remain a valuable assessment process for recruiting new employees. Companies use interviews to evaluate candidates’ interpersonal abilities, such as their personal strengths and development. For example, in FMCG companies, interviews are used to assess candidates’ commercial awareness, adaptability, and cross-functional collaboration. Furthermore, interviews serve as a problem-solving instrument that enables employers to analyze candidates with great technical competence. To illustrate, a retail company looking for a business development manager can directly review how capable the candidate is of making decisions. A high result in a technical skills interview assessment will identify candidates with strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
To conclude, interviews are not a completely reliable method of recruitment because they can be influenced by anxiety and bias. However, they are still valuable for evaluating candidates’ communication skills and technical competence. Therefore, I partially agree that there are better methods of assessing candidates, while interviews still provide valuable insights into applicants’ interpersonal and technical abilities.