The organisations were chosen through an anonymous feedback survey that job candidates complete. Companies are judged on categories such as the overall interview experience, the process of the interview, its difficulty, their questions to candidates, and whether they provided insights into the job.
“The interview process is the gateway experience that employers have with a candidate, and you only get one chance to make a great first impression,” commented Carmel Galvin, chief human resources officer at Glassdoor.
According to Glassdoor’s reviews on interviews, candidates report that positive interview experiences are educational, transparent, friendly, a smooth process, or offer a clear description of next steps.
Six out of 10 (61%) candidates reported a positive interview experience out of the 700,000 employers that were reviewed on Glassdoor.
Sandra Henke, group head of people and culture at Hays, which came seventh on the list, said her organisation prides itself on putting a lot of work into its hiring process. “We try very hard to talk straight and be very transparent about the way we work and what the job’s really like, but also very importantly about the culture and the essence of who we are as an organisation,” she told HR magazine.
“Storytelling about who you are as a company is a really important skill when you’re interviewing. It’s telling your story well but in a very authentic and transparent way that is absolutely key,” Henke added.
In terms of tips for other employers, Galvin advised interviewers to look for candidates who are clearly prepared for the interview. She also advised giving candidates the opportunity to showcase their skillsets, and to remember that everyone has a talent your company could use in some capacity. Other tips included managing the timing of the interview correctly and bearing the local labour market in mind.
Henke added the importance of remembering feedback. She caveated, however, that when interviewing a high volume of candidates it can be logistically challenging to provide feedback to all. “I understand that [feedback] is important to candidates but it’s also hugely challenging to manage in [a higher] volume,” she said.
Galvin emphasised the importance of employers providing a good interview experience to candidates, particularly in the current climate of high employment and skills shortages in some sectors. “I congratulate these employers for efficient, effective and innovative interviewing and hiring practices,” she said. “It’s no easy task, but employers who get this right will have the recruiting and business advantage.”
The top 10 Best Places to Interview in 2017 in the UK, according to job candidates, are:
1. Airbus (interview experience: 94% positive)
2. Yell (92% positive)
3. Hiscox (86% positive)
4. EasyJet (86% positive)
5. Salesforce (85% positive)
6. AllSaints Retail (84% positive)
7. Hays (83% positive)
8. Carphone Warehouse (82% positive)
9. Waitrose (82% positive)
10. Rolls-Royce (80% positive)
