Ill-prepared interviewers could prove costly

Under-prepared job interviewers could expose employers to costly legal problems, new research has revealed.

Nearly half of UK interviewers could be rushing decisions and forcing errors when hiring, according to a report by business leadership consultancy DDI. Some 47% of the 1,910 global employers spent less than 30 minutes reviewing candidates' interview results before making a selection, and more than half (54%) of UK interviewers are unable to correctly identify illegal questions that could be age or sex discriminatory, according to the Global Interviewing Practices and Perceptions study.

Steve Newhall, vice president for Europe at DDI, said firms should take care to avoid potential legal claims by interviewing and recruiting fairly.

"Job interviews are simply not being given the time and effort they deserve, and could be opening up businesses to costly legal problems. The average interviewer is far more confident about their abilities than the research shows they should be. In the current climate, organisations cannot afford to risk wasting valuable time and money in hiring the wrong person into critical roles."

In the UK, interviewers are among the least likely to use 'gut instinct', with only 32% saying they use this to make decisions. In the US however, over half (56%) are willing to rely on this.