Interviewing is often described as one of the most challenging aspects of running a business. Whether you’re a seasoned hiring manager or a business owner wearing multiple hats, the complexity of finding the right candidate can be overwhelming.
It can also make or break your business.
Why is Interviewing So Hard?
The answer lies in the way our brains are wired. Most of us are naturally inclined to favor either the left brain, which is analytical and logical, or the right brain, which is creative and emotional. This dominance affects how we approach the interview process and can make it challenging to balance both the technical and emotional aspects that are critical for hiring success.
Pre-Qualification: The Left Brain’s Domain
The first step in the interview process is pre-qualification, a task that heavily relies on the left brain. Here, you need to eliminate candidates who don’t meet the basic technical requirements or who don’t have the experience necessary for the role.
It’s about filtering out those who obviously aren’t a good fit before investing more time and energy. While the phone screening should be short, you need to end the call knowing if you want to spend more time with them.
This step is critical because it saves time and narrows your focus to candidates who have the potential to succeed at your company. But if you’re more right brain dominant, this logical, data-driven step might feel like a chore and be overlooked.
Culture Fit: The Right Brain’s Expertise
Next comes the evaluation of culture fit, which taps into the right brain. This part of the interview process is more about intuition, gut feelings, and understanding whether a candidate will fit in with your team and your company’s values. You’re looking beyond the resume to assess the person’s character, personality, and how they might contribute to your company’s culture.
If you’re left brain dominant, you might struggle with this less tangible aspect of interviewing. However, it’s incredibly important because a candidate who doesn’t align with your company’s culture can lead to long-term issues, even if they excel at their job duties.
Position Fit: A Left Brain Assessment
Finding the right role for a candidate is another left brain activity. It involves analyzing whether the candidate’s skills, experience, and qualifications match the job requirements. This step makes sure that the person can perform the tasks required of them and thrive in their role.
Taking it a step further, if you have a great culture fit, but realize they’re not the right position fit, it’s time to add them to your bench for future opportunities.
Here, the left brain is in its element, evaluating data, reviewing qualifications, and making logical decisions. However, without the right brain’s input from the culture fit stage, you might miss subtle cues that indicate whether the candidate will be happy and fulfilled in the position.
Pullback Offer: Engaging the Right Brain
Finally, there’s the pullback offer – a strategic move where you address any yellow flags and set proper expectations before making the final offer. This step leans on the right brain’s ability to empathize and understand the candidate’s perspective. It’s about making sure both parties are aligned and there aren’t any misunderstandings about what the job requires or what the company culture is like.
If this step is overlooked or not handled with care, you risk hiring someone who may not stay long term, leading to higher turnover and additional hiring costs.
Balancing Both Sides for Success
The real challenge of interviewing is finding a balance between the left and right brain. To hire the right person, you need to engage both the technical (left brain) and emotional (right brain) aspects of the process. This strategy makes sure candidates have the necessary skills and also align with your company’s culture and values.
Without this balance, your hiring process will be lopsided. If you rely too much on technical assessments, you might overlook culture mismatches. On the other hand, if you focus solely on culture fit, you might end up with someone who doesn’t have the capacity to do the job effectively.
The Outcome: An Unstoppable Team
By integrating both left brain and right brain thinking into your interview process, you can achieve a balanced, thorough approach that leads to better hiring decisions.
The outcome? A team of people who understand what they’re getting into, fit your culture, can do the work, and align with your expectations.
An easy solution to unbalanced interviewing is to implement structured processes and scripts. By creating a standardized approach that covers both technical and emotional aspects of the interview, you make sure all critical areas are evaluated consistently, no matter who is leading the interview.
If you’re struggling to find this balance or want to put processes in place that make hiring easier – no matter which side of your brain you lean toward – book a call today. The team at Core Matters will help you streamline your interview process and set you up for hiring success.
