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SPEED DATING MEET THE INTERVIEW PROCESS
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Speed Dating Meet the Interview Process

The Betts Team
July 21, 2011

In a world where job candidates are in abundance, how do you find the best and the brightest among a sea of eager seekers?

Well, perhaps some of the nations top medical schools are onto something. Virgina Tech Carillion is among a group of top medical schools looking beyond the grades, MCAT scores, and resume and placing a huge value on interpersonal and communication skills. As such, they are implementing a new form of evaluation for its applicants- the Multiple Mini Interview. It is a sort of ‘speed dating’ process where interviewees rotate through a series of 10(ish) minute interviews. Each mini interview presents the interviewee with a real world situation or problem and they are asked to discuss and evaluate with an interviewer. It is designed to give insight into how people think on their feet, as well as reveal how they react when they are faced with opposition or disagreement from another person. They want to see how each candidate interacts with others and if they are willing to work as a team. Admissions officers are hoping these types of interviews will help prevent impersonal doctors from going into the field and improve communication among nurses, doctors, and patients to ensure the best medical care possible.

This new type of interview is proving to be one of the most effective ways to evaluate candidates and it is something that hiring companies can use to measure the success of future employees. Studies have also shown the Multiple Mini Interview is a strong predictor for how well people will perform in future jobs. It allows you to see how the skills and experience etched in a resume come to life in the real world. You want to find the people who are skilled and knowledgeable about what they are doing, but also those you will enjoy seeing in the office everyday and those who you feel confident representing your company in a positive and effective way.

And if you don’t want to orchestrate this complicated, structured interview process, you can create this kind of a set up where candidates can talk to multiple people on your turf in a less formal way. Throw a cocktail party, invite your candidates and see how fare in a social situation that is relevant to your companies culture and values.

Either way, this type of ‘social evaluation’ can be key to finding the best of the best- those who look great on paper and are great in the real world!