As a recruiter, it is difficult to know how to prioritize your time. There are endless applications to be reviewed, countless emails to be answered, sourcing to be done all while managing active candidates in the pipeline. In such a busy workday, it is easy to not spend enough time with candidates who are about to enter the final round.
In this blog post, we talk about why you should spend the most time with candidates who are furthest down the funnel.
Why you should prepare candidates for the final round
The simplest reason you should prepare candidates for the final round is that in our analysis at Rocket, a candidate in the final round has a 10x higher likelihood of getting hired than someone in the first round and almost 25x higher likelihood than someone who you haven't spoken to yet.
If you have limited amount of time, spend it on the candidates further down the funnel who have the highest chance of getting hired. This is the best possible strategy to fill the req as quickly as possible.
Isn't it cheating?
You might struggle with whether preparing candidates for the final round is cheating and whether it enable someone unqualified to get the job. In general, I would argue that not only is it not cheating, it is actually helpful and supportive for several reasons:
- Preparing candidates for the final round can help to ensure that they are fully prepared and comfortable during the interview, which can lead to a more successful outcome for both the candidate and the company.
- Working day to day is not the same as interviewing - some candidates are great at doing the job but terrible at interviewing. By helping them do better on the interview by being less nervous, you are actually helping the better candidate get hired.
- Employer brand is critically important in today's world - a candidate who you helped as a recruiter during the final round process is likely to not be upset even if they didn't get the job and unlikely to leave a bad Glassdoor review.
- Lastly, this will also build and protect your own personal brand as a recruiter!
That being said, it is important to ensure that the preparation provided to the candidate is fair and does not give them an unfair advantage over other candidates.
It is also important to remember that the final round of an interview process is an opportunity for the company to assess the candidate's fit and potential, and the candidate should be allowed to showcase their own skills and abilities without undue influence.
How should you prepare them?
As a recruiter, there are several steps you can take to prepare a candidate for the final round at your company. These may include:
- Providing an overview of the final round process: Inform the candidate about the format of the final round, who they will be meeting with, and what to expect in terms of timing and duration.
- Reviewing the job requirements: Make sure the candidate has a clear understanding of the job requirements and the skills and experience that are necessary for the role.
- Providing company information: Share information about the company culture, values, and mission to help the candidate better understand the organization and its goals.
- Reviewing the candidate's resume and cover letter: Review the candidate's resume and cover letter with them, highlighting their relevant skills and experience and providing feedback on how they can present themselves effectively to the hiring team.
- Practicing common interview questions: Help the candidate prepare for common interview questions by discussing potential responses and providing feedback. At a high level, also let them know what types of questions to expect.
- Discussing potential challenges: Identify any potential challenges the candidate may face in the final round and discuss strategies for addressing them.
By taking the time to prepare the candidate for the final round, you can help increase their confidence and increase their chances of success in the process. This will ultimately help you close the role faster!
About Rocket
Rocket pairs talented recruiters with advanced AI to help companies hit their hiring goals and knows technology recruiting inside out. Rocket is headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley but has recruiters all over the US & Canada serving the needs of our growing client base across engineering, product management, data science and more.
