Why an Organized Interview Is a Must in Maritime Recruitment

If you want to observe or get to know a candidate better, conducting an interview is your best approach.

And this speaks for every industry, not just in a maritime recruitment setup. If conducted well, the interview gives the employer a chance to ascertain whether an applicant's qualifications, background, and personality match those of the position.

But did you know that it goes both ways?

Your prospective employee can also leverage their interview to get a good grasp of your process and company.

All is good when conducted well, but when an interview is disorganized, you might be dealing with a lengthier recruitment process.

Read more: Why Being Organized Increases Candidate Engagement

Why? Why should manning agents and shipowners prepare for such a process? Let's find out.

What is an interview?

An interview is a chat or interaction between an applicant and a possible employer.

As one method in the recruitment process, interviews generally help employers assess the candidate's skills and see if their knowledge and technical know-how match the job requirements.

Aside from these technicalities, employers often get a glimpse of the prospect's personality and character qualities during the interview.

Especially when done in person or via video conferencing, employers or manning agents get to observe a potential employee's mannerisms and perspective.

An interview also assists in validating a candidate's application. Employers take advantage of this chance to evaluate the veracity of a candidate's assertions and to look into their background.

Say a ship needs a new Chief Engineer—the interview is one way to ensure you're interviewing someone with the certifications, qualifications, and experience to match.

For entry-level positions like trainee seafarers and cadets, conducting an interview is still important.

Why an organized interview is important

We've already brushed on the fact that interviewing is an essential HR recruitment tactic.

But just because your prospects expect it to happen doesn't mean you don't prepare for it. The truth is, an organized interview can make or break your hiring success.

Your candidates may discover a lot about your shipping company by participating in the interview process. So put your best foot forward.

Your hiring process will go more smoothly and efficiently the more you plan. Plus, you'll get to do the following:

1. Ensure a smooth-sailing hiring process

You need an effective approach if you want to reduce your hiring expenditures.

Interview planning helps to cut out unnecessary procedures and ensure that each stage of the process satisfies your business goals by explicitly establishing the essential job criteria in advance.

2. Make sure everyone's on the same page

The hiring process frequently involves several people.

Everyone must be on the same page when it comes to the objectives, steps, and timeframe of your hiring process. This requires interview planning and a workflow.

3. Ask the right questions

A successful interview identifies the ideal candidate for the position.

When you have a plan, you are aware of the requirements, which enables you to concentrate on pertinent inquiries and accurately evaluate these requirements.

4. Create a consistent and fair process

You can't evaluate prospects by comparing them to apples and oranges.

Preparing for the interview makes it possible to ensure that all candidates receive the same questions and the same amount of time to respond.

5. Provide a good candidate experience

In the same way, you evaluate applicants and candidates and assess your business to see if it is a decent workplace.

You may make an excellent first impression by evaluating applications, scheduling interviews, and making choices on time with thoughtful interview planning.

When you are ready to make an offer, you don't want to miss out on qualified individuals because you were disorganized and they had already decided on another position.

How to organize a maritime crewing interview

In almost every industry, job interviews are still the most common means of evaluating potential employees.

A face-to-face interview is typically a step in hiring, even when firms use assessment days to gauge candidates' practical skills.

It is simple to understand why: a well-executed interview may provide exceptional insight into your applicants' backgrounds, aptitudes, and personalities.

So here are some ways to plan for the best outcomes.

1. Prepare your questions

The entire point of the interview is to determine whether the candidate is qualified for the position. Therefore, in order to create questions that investigate the necessary abilities, knowledge, and characteristics, you should first identify them.

Using open-ended interview questions is a fantastic idea because they reveal each candidate's personality.

2. Don't stray from the topic

Questions concerning the applicant's race, sexual orientation, religion, and other potentially discriminatory factors should be avoided. Instead, keep your attention on the requirements of the job.

3. Be consistent across all candidates

While some businesses like to change their interview questions to keep things interesting, being consistent will offer every applicant a fair shot. Give each interview the same amount of time.

4. Be prepared to respond to applicants' inquiries

Job interviews involve both parties. Good candidates will want to learn more about the position and your business to see whether the position is a good fit for them. Give them enough time to ask questions, and make sure you answer satisfactorily.

5. Tap great interviewers

Candidates see your panel as representatives of your firm. So make sure you pick people who make great ambassadors.

Interviewers should be competent, unbiased, and capable of conducting the interview following the format you've prepared.

How Martide can help

The candidate's experience during the interview does affect their decision. If you offer a disorganized or unnecessarily lengthy one, chances are they'll say yes to a competitor.

Martide reduces the bottlenecks and friction by ensuring everything is streamlined, well-communicated, and convenient for both recruiters and candidates.

Martide's built-in messaging system makes communication between manning agents and ship managers clear. It is also easy for them to get in touch with candidates directly.

The team inbox centralizes communication and keeps track of who said what and when. This transparency quickly updates everyone on the recruiting team.

Martide even offers a Broadcasts feature so you can send a message to several seafarers at once.

But that's not all—as an end-to-end solution for the maritime industry, Martide is packed with features to help you recruit, manage your crew, and even do business with relevant vendors.

Like what you're reading? Want to know more about our solutions? Then, visit our website today or contact us today to request a no-strings-attached demo.