Career fairs are one of the most efficient ways for campus recruiter to get face time with their talent pool. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the next hiring stage: interviewing.

You have to sort applications, contact candidates, prepare questions, schedule interviews – and repeat this process for every single candidate you’re considering. For recruiters and candidates alike, this is often the longest and most stressful part of the hiring process.

Now what if you could cut your interviewing process down to half, or even a quarter, of the time you usually spend? That’s the inspiration behind speed interviewing. Modeled after the process of speed dating, this technique is not only fun for candidates, it also provides plenty of advantages for time-strapped campus recruiters.

Here are 5 reasons why you should consider adding “speed interviews” to your recruiting repertoire.

1. The “cool” factor

Filled with repetitive questions and rehearsed answers, traditional interviews are often not very engaging for Gen-Y job seekers. With speed interviews, the added time crunch adds a level of egg-citement to the interaction, often inspiring more genuine candidate responses than a regular-length interview.

Tip: Embracing a more innovative interviewing style can also help position your company as a forward-thinking brand – an important aspect for many young candidates!

2. Immediate comparisons between candidates

When your interview process is stretched out over days or even weeks, the details you remember about each candidate can start to get a little fuzzy. Speed interviews allow you see all your candidates within a few hours, so you can more accurately compare and contrast your talent pool’s strengths and weaknesses.

3. Saves time and resources

This is one of the most obvious advantages of speed interviewing. With this method, you can evaluate 20 candidates in the time it usually takes to meet 2, saving you valuable time and resources. In addition, since attendees are already expecting to have a brief interaction with employers at career fairs, getting the chance to spend additional time with you maximizes your candidates’ experience as well!

Fun Fact: While it might sound like a buzzy corporate trend, law firms have been using speed interviews to source top student talent for years!

4. Opportunity to see more candidates

Sometimes great candidates get screened out of interviews for minor missteps. This is especially true for student and new grad applicants who are new to the job hunt and may be unsure of what to expect. Since speed interviews allow you to commit less time to each applicant, you can give those kinds of candidates a second chance to shine.

Tip: Make sure you adapt your speed interview style to your company’s needs and values. For example, you could host 5-minute interviews for less technical roles and 15-minute sessions with more experienced candidates.

5. Speeds up the hiring decision

No candidate loves the “hiring limbo” that often occurs after interviews and students and new grads are no exception. Luckily, with a speedier interviewing process, you’ll be able to find your ideal candidate that much faster, vastly reducing that post-fair waiting period. In addition, job-seeking students and grads are applying to tons of new positions every day. With a quicker hiring process, you’ll have a higher chance of landing that top candidate before they’ve moved on to another opportunity.

As a recruiter, your time is precious and so are your candidates’. Speed interviews are a great way to maximize efficiency and inject a little fun into the hiring process.

Discussion: Have you used “speed interviews” in your recruitment efforts? What was your experience?

Related Articles