Just like searching for a new job, interviewing for that next great hire can also seem like a full-time job in itself. Once you have some candidates in the pipeline, and are ready to interview, here are 4 quick tips on how you can maximize your time and make it as efficient of a process as possible.

1. Conduct Back-to-Back Interviews with Candidates whenever possible.

The amount of time is takes to prepare, interview, and then provide thoughtful feedback to on a candidate can be cumbersome. The more you can block out time to interview multiple candidates in a row can be very valuable. Not only does it provide you with an opportunity to get in the right mind-set for this important task, but it also makes it easy to compare and contrast one candidate from another because everything is fresh.

Furthermore, the best candidates are here today and gone tomorrow. By being efficient through time blocking, you’re able to make decisions faster in order to keep the process moving. This alone will result in less unexpected and often unfortunate surprises when it comes to finding out that your favorite candidate has accepted a different job due to timing issues. In today’s market with the shortage of IT talent, it’s important to make sure you’re doing everything you can to provide an exceptional experience for candidates who come in to meet with you.

2. Get to know your candidates before you interview them.

In the interest of efficiency, study up on your candidates prior to the interview! This means reading their resume, checking out their LinkedIn profile as well as other social media avenues. You will then be able to come to the interview prepared with more tailored questions specific to the candidate as well as notes on areas that you want to dig into during the interview. You will be able to pull more insightful information from the candidate that will result in better hiring decisions. This prep work will likely impress candidates as well just as it impresses you when candidates do their homework prior to the interview. People appreciate that.

3. Set deadlines with your candidates when it comes to making final hiring decisions.

Manage your candidate’s expectations when it comes to the timeline for next steps. This helps in numerous ways. If you take too much time to give status updates to your candidate pool when it comes to where you’re at in the interview process, you will without a doubt increase the risk of losing quality talent. By setting expectations appropriately, you’re not only creating accountability on yourself to get things rolling but you’re also helping candidates by giving them the information they need to set realistic expectations with other companies who might also be interested in hiring them. It’s a respectful thing to do for all parties involved. Follow the golden rule.

4. Know how to sell your company and your team’s brand!

This is a key question we ask each client when walking into a new meeting to gather a job requirement… i.e. what is it that makes their company and team environment unique from a candidate’s point of view? Why would they want to work for your company versus all of the other companies who are currently hiring? The answer to this question can be many things and there isn’t one right answer for every candidate.

Some places to start gathering your selling points might include… Is the work meaningful? Does your company offer great benefits, stock options, unlimited vacation, professional training, or a flexible work schedule? Are there opportunities for career advancement? Is your company investing in the future with leading edge technology? Will the projects be exciting that the candidate will be working on? What makes your team’s culture special?

Knowing this information ahead of time will help you when the time comes to deliver your pitch on the role you’re looking to fill. It’s equally important to make sure you ask candidates ahead of time why they are looking for a new job… i.e. what’s motivating their search? This question alone will not only tell you quite a bit about the candidate in general but it will also provide you with a framework to use when it comes to deciding which selling points to emphasize on why the candidate should make your position their number one choice.