Interviewing is not a skill that anyone is born with – it takes practice.
As a hiring manager in the finance and technology sector, you have the essential job of making sure every new team member is not only right for the role but that they will bring something to your company which will help it thrive and grow.
IT and FinTech jobs are in high demand, with the sector is growing at an incredible rate. Thankfully, in the UAE, there are plenty of talented FinTech employees looking to accelerate their careers in this expanding sector.
The UAE is the largest FinTech hub in the MENA region, with a total of $237m being invested in companies since 2015. A lot of this investment is rooted in startups, but traditional financial services are also rapidly adapting.
So with this in mind, how can you, as a hiring manager, attract top talent to your UAE FinTech organisation to stay ahead of the curve?
Let’s look at some essential interview skills for hiring managers.
Putting the Candidate at Ease
Job interviews are said to be one of the most stressful life experiences, and it’s understandable. We all remember the nervous feeling we had before an interview for a role that we wanted.
But stressed candidates do not give good interviews. Even the most talented individual can give a sub-standard interview if the nerves get the better of them.
This is why it’s so important to make each candidate feels at ease. The following are points to remember before and during your interviews:-
- Take an objective look at the interview location. You might think that the office you interview in is fine because you see it every day. But is the area cramped, or untidy? Do you have a suitable space for the candidate(s) to wait in before the interview? First impressions count, and some candidates will be put off by what seems like a disorganised working space.
- Greet them warmly and offer them a drink. A dry throat is a common symptom of nerves, so a glass of water can help the candidate feel more relaxed and able to speak freely.
- Have enough time marked out in your calendar. A complaint we hear from candidates is that the interview sometimes feels rushed, and this happens when interviews are not the only thing on your ‘to-do’ list that day. Overestimate how much time your interviews are going to take. That way you won’t feel rushed and any time left over is a bonus.
- Smile and be personable! There is no need in the 21st century for interviews to be the formal meetings they once were. There is a good chance your FinTech candidates are used to much more relaxed working conditions, so a highly formal interview will feel out of place.
When you make the candidate feel relaxed, it opens up the interaction, and you will get so much more out of your candidate. Aim not to let the candidate feel as though they are being asked a list of questions – let me explain further.
Good Interviewers Don’t Interview
If this sounds like a paradox, it’s not meant to!
The fact is that every great interview should leave the candidate and yourself feeling as though you have had a conversation, rather than an interview.
But this skill is not the easiest to master. Many interviewers will spend most of their initial interviews adhering to the more structured ‘question and answer’ type interaction. Only with time and confidence in the ability of your interviewing skills will you be able to conduct the more informal, relaxed meetings which make for a great interview.
Be transparent and honest, always, about their prospective job role and react to their questions receptively.
Spotting the Unique
For FinTech roles, particularly in forward-thinking organisations who work with the latest tech, employing individuals with unique skill sets is a smart move.
Alongside excellent programming skills, these include-
- Emotional intelligence – to be able to work with individuals who are different from themselves.
- Creativity – to be able to create new and innovative programmes.
- Innovation – to predict what the business needs and always be looking out for new and better ways to improve products and services.
- Flexibility and adaptability – the world of FinTech is continually changing – can they keep up?
- Excellent communication skills – to be able to quickly and effectively communicate ideas to different parts of the whole team.
- Evidence of being able to work successfully with teams of different sizes – depending on the size of your organisation, the employee will likely have to work on various projects with different sized teams. Are they used to working in small groups, or large multinationals? How will they cope with getting used to something completely different?
Of course, every organisation will be looking for different specifics – make sure you and the management team who are responsible for new hires have set out exactly what you are looking for before the interview process.
Finally
In high growth FinTech organisations, hiring can be a challenge. If you have struggled to nail your recruiting process and would like some expert help to find and onboard your next hires – we can help.
We work alongside FinTech hiring managers to help simplify and speed up your process, finding you the right hires, the first time around.
If you’ve got current or upcoming positions that you need help hiring for, contact us today to discuss how we can assist you.