Our Employee Engagement research shows that 77 percent of candidates felt that the interview process prepared them for the everyday reality of the job.  For the remaining 23 percent, however, the experience was disappointing and some even felt misled by the interview. Those candidates were more likely to feel a lack of engagement in their new job.

People who felt misled by the interview process specifically mentioned a few areas:

• The support they would get from other areas of the company
• The level of management support for their work and their role
• The variety of work in their daily job
• The aspects of work that interested them
• Who they would be working with

So how do you ensure that you create a great – and accurate – first impression and set yourself up to recruit the people who will become engaged employees rather than disillusioned ones?

• Be sure the interviewer knows exactly what the job entails and what skills and attitudes make people successful in similar roles. It sounds basic, but sharing an honest understanding of what the job actually includes, rather than a rosy picture, helps candidates to accurately assess their own suitability. That potentially saves you from hiring a future disengaged employee.
• Remember that the interview is a two way process – it’s not just about you assessing a candidate, they also need to decide if it’s the right fit. The interview needs to be more of a discussion than a grilling and the interviewer needs to be prepared to answer questions about management style and office culture in an open and useful way.

• Treat candidates just as you would treat colleagues. Don’t leave candidates waiting for ages in reception, don’t fire a hundred questions at them with no time to gather their thoughts, and don’t condescend.

  Of course you would never do any of those awful things, but some interviewers will. Candidates get a sense of how well organized the company is and how it treats people from the interviewer’s behavior. The good ones will shy away from any hint of a toxic atmosphere.

For more ideas on how to get the employee relationship off to a good start, check out our research and take a look at the details of our upcoming Hackathon.