January 2023

Most industry luminaries and noteworthy entrepreneurs unequivocally converge on one point: great folks come together to make a great organization. The organization is often referred to as Association (without wonderful associates could we ever have a productive association?) or even a Company (don’t wonderful companions make a great company?). The most effective way to meet the target is through Outsourcing Technical Interviews The challenge, therefore, is to hire the best! Recruiting a suitable candidate -more often than not- is quite tricky and more so when we are looking to hire an experienced candidate having a reasonable amount of experience. Getting the best to work is the gateway to building a formidable and enviable organization. So, quite understandably, organizations around the world look to invest a lot -in terms of money and time- in the process of hiring.  The new recruits are usually expected to bring something new to the table, anticipated to be innovative with analysis and solutions, and often hoped to make use of their technical expertise which was hitherto unseen in the organization. With so much at risk, organizations frequently seek to outsource technical interviews and seek assistance from companies that perform interviews as a service. Let us look at some of the notable benefits which an organization stands to gain or help is sought for hiring from those companies which provide interviews as services. 1. Horses for courses Technical interview demands expertise and preparation not only from the prospective employees but also from the interviewer. A lot of detailing goes into accessing the experience and skill set of the candidates and the questions which would put the candidate under the greatest examination of their claimed expertise. This major aspect is taken care of when the technical interviews are outsourced. 2. Time is money Often when the individual from a particular team in an organization- or someone working with the deliverables for a project- is picked to conduct the interview, what inevitably comes as a barrier is the time constraint. Setting aside the time for the proposed interview, then going through the resume of the candidate, and subsequently preparing to interview the potential employee involves a lot of deliberation and hair-scratching possibly affecting the project deliverables. This could be easily avoided by seeking help from those organizations which provide interviews as a service. 3. Digging the pool A dearth of talent available with a desired skill set, or an abundance of talent with a particular proficiency – both offer their own challenges. A thin talent pool requires the expectations to be meticulously and practically set so that the organization does not lose on recruiting a rarity. A profusion of the candidate pool, however, is not without its own share of trouble either. As they say, it is difficult to pick the best from the crowd.  These are the predicaments that an organization could look to address by outsourcing technical interviews. 4. Eyeing the bigger picture: When a person from the delivery unit of the project is asked to conduct an interview for the lateral applicants, what often results is a myopic discussion. The interviewer, consciously or subconsciously, looks for the suitability of the candidate in his or her own assignment or scheme, and in this process, the bigger picture is missed.  What must preferably be considered while hiring a new employee is the inclusive viability of the candidature: technical expertise, communication, and soft skills, temperament, problem-solving ability, willingness to learn and adopt, and much more. By doing so we ensure the overall desirability of the candidate in the organization. The organization thus stands to benefit in the long run. A third party appointed for hiring often fits the bill as it takes those aspects into consideration. 5. More holistic evaluation of the candidate: Interviewing a candidate does not – and in fact, should not- mean sitting in judgment. The interview should rather be a fruitful and productive conversation where none of the participants – the interviewer and the interviewee- should feel that the time invested is wasted, and each had a takeaway from the interaction. Albeit selection or rejection, the interview process should ideally be an enriching experience for all the participants, rather than a draining one.  And who else but the interviewer could set the tone for a healthy discussion by creating an atmosphere of mutual respect? By doing so the interviewer ensures that the candidate is confident and reassured enough to come up with his or her best, thus making the process smoother and congenial, and the eventual decision that much easier. Unfortunately, this aspect is often overlooked when an untrained interviewer is asked to interview. Entrusting the task of evaluating the candidate to a third party often mitigates the issue. 6. Connecting remotely helps With virtual becoming more real than real, online meetings replacing closed-door conferences, and working remotely coming to be accepted as the order of the day, the interview process, too, has undergone changes. Video call, screen sharing, and having an in-depth discussion of the candidate’s profile over online meetings is what comprises the interview today. So, a job applicant does not necessarily need to visit the office for the screening process. This has made the process of outsourcing technical interviews much easier and less stressful. An organization is as good as its employees. So, select the best, and be the best. It is thus advisable to delegate one of the major aspects of organization building- the hiring process- to the experts.