Talent and HR News Weekly Update: Interviewing & Hiring

In this week's Talent and HR News Weekly Roundup, we're featuring some of the latest thinking around interviewing and hiring. A lot to consider below, considering these are two crucial points in the candidate experience. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

1) Ask These 24 Interview Questions to Find a Marketing Rock Star from Entrepreneur

"When it’s time to expand your startup’s growing team, you can’t go wrong with hiring a marketing strategist. Sure, accountants, customer service reps and other specialists are all important, but it’s your marketing team that puts money directly back into your pocket. But, of course, you don’t want just any marketer. You want a true rock star -- somebody who’s going to move the needle for your business. Why is this important? Let’s look at the Creative Group’s most recent salary guide, which reports an average salary for content strategists of $72,500 to $100,000 per year. Now, let’s add benefits to that. Joe Hadzima of the MIT Sloan School of Management puts these at an average of 25 to 40 percent of an employee’s base salary. Even if you hire on the bottom end of the pay scale for this position and offer minimal benefits, you’re still looking at total costs of $90,625 a year."

2) The Truth is Out There at Least for Hiring Top Talent from Inc.

"There are two job markets, one visible, one hidden. The best jobs and the best people are in the hidden market. Here's how to find them both. There are two distinct job markets. The public one is comprised of the 5.6 million open jobs anyone can find on the job boards. However, before each one of these jobs is formally approved and posted, hiring managers try to fill these jobs internally or by getting a referral from a trusted source. During the process these jobs are often modified to better fit the person hired or promoted into the role. As a result these jobs are more satisfying, performance is higher and turnover is far less."

3) Turn the Tables: 10 Job Interview Questions You Should Ask from Inc.

"Some due diligence and extra effort on your part will go a long way to help you land that job. Anyone who's ever gone on a job interview can probably attest to the anxiety of being put on the spot as you attempt to sell yourself to a panel of would-be bosses. Preparing as best you can for the questions you will be asked is a must. As well-spoken and knowledgeable as you surely are, you need to give yourself an edge over the competition and show the company gatekeeper that you have what it takes to thrive as an asset in the organization. Read on to find out how you can turn the tables on your interviewers and demonstrate your drive and dedication by asking some well-crafted questions of your own."

4) What to say when the hiring manager asks, 'Where else are you interviewing?' from Business Insider

"You're in a job interview. Everything is going smoothly. You ace the "biggest weakness" question, you crush it when they ask, "Why should we hire you?" But then you get thrown a curveball. "So, where else are you interviewing?" It's a simple question — one you could easily answer without having to think too hard. But it's actually a lot trickier than it seems, and how you answer this question can make or break the interview."

5) Is Blind Hiring the Best Hiring from The New York Times

"A few years ago, Kedar Iyer, an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, became acutely aware of a problem in his industry: A surfeit of talented coders were routinely overlooked by employers because they lacked elite pedigrees. Hiring managers, he thought, were too often swayed by the name of a fancy college on a résumé. To try to address the problem, he created a software company called GapJumpers, working with employers to create challenges for applicants that mimicked what people would do on the job. Companies using GapJumpers wouldn’t see candidates’ résumés, just their names, photographs and test results. In theory, this process would shift employers’ focus from résumés to skills. Then, two years ago, he came across an idea that caused him to rethink his business."

Lexi Gordon is a Lead Consultant for exaqueo, a workforce consultancy that helps organizations build their cultures, employer brands and talent strategies. Contact exaqueo to learn more about our employer brand innovation, workforce research, and recruiting strategy offerings.

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