Dive Brief:

• Holding an interview in a musty conference room is so last year, according to a study from LinkedIn, as many top companies now eschew it for interesting alternative locations. LinkedIn Talent Solutions’ Global Recruiting Trends 2018 focuses on how companies are changing how they hire, including by offering a more relaxed atmosphere. 
• Surveying nearly 9,000 talent acquisition and hiring managers, 74% of respondents use the traditional interview format, and 88% rate them as effective, but when it comes to screening for soft skills, the numbers plummet. Many do not believe the traditional format can screen for soft skills, and 57% of those surveyed struggle to reveal candidate weaknesses.
• Five recommendations for new ways to interview emerge from the data, including better use of soft skills assessment tools. Following closely behind are job auditions (54%) and meeting in casual places (53%). To put candidates more at ease, and hopefully gain more insight, walking interviews, meeting at restaurants, and even interviewing on a Ferris wheel are emerging as more effective ways to truly assess job seekers.

Dive Insight:

Whether it’s personalizing the process, shortening time to hire or getting creative in sourcing and interviewing, hiring professionals know the competition for top talent is fierce and that their tactics may need an overhaul. While the conference room may be an impressive space for clients, for job seekers it can be intimidating and even clinical. Putting applicants at ease, particularly if you’re hoping to assess soft skills and communication, can begin with the atmosphere you project.

Being creative in how you source candidates may even begin with the intern experience. Using alternative methods to the traditional interview process could mean meeting candidates where they play, like on Snapchat, or digitizing the process with video interviewing. Any step you can take to ease the process is helpful. Positioning your company as cutting-edge, innovative or family friendly are also ways to make a good candidate impression — the first step to a great candidate experience.

But candidate experience is more than making a good impression; it’s making sure job seekers don't have reason to post negative comments about your processes, dissuading others from applying. As some employers have learned the hard way, companies that aren’t consciously trying to make a good impression may witness considerable damage to their corporate brand.