LONDON, 6 November 2006 – Almost three-fifths of UK job interviewees (59%) rate female interviewers more highly than their male counterparts (53%), according to research commissioned by HR consulting company Water for Fish, an Aon Consulting business. The research suggests that women are better equipped to choose the best suited candidates to fill vacancies.
The research, which surveyed 1,006 working adults across the UK, showed that almost regardless of the candidate’s gender, women interviewers had a more positive impact than men. When asked about how skilful their interviewer was, women scored significantly better than men. Additonally, two-thirds of those interviewed by women thought them well prepared, while only 58% thought male interviewers well prepared. When it came to putting candidates at ease, female interviewers (56%) again scored more highly than men (44%).
Nearly a quarter (22%) of candidates felt their performance at interview suffered due to theinterviewer. In the north of England (25%) and Scotland (26%), this negativity was felt morestrongly compared with London and the south east (21%). Among candidates whose performance suffered, 51% said that the interviewer did not work hard to put them at their ease, 41% claimed that the interviewer was not every skilful in conducting the interview and 32% were given the impression that the job had already gone.
Commenting on the survey, Ben Thornton, Executive Director at Water for Fish, said: “The role of the interviewer is very important and much more than having to just ask questions! It involves being able to create an environment that enables candidates to showcase themselves effectively and in which the interviewer themselves can perform their role in the best way to find the right person for the job. This can involve, for example, making the candidate feel at ease in order to get the most from them and making them feel that they are being listened to and not just another candidate in a long list. It is interesting that the survey showed that candidates felt in their experience that female interviewers were better equipped with these skills.
“It would be foolish for companies to ignore the skill set of their interviewers when searching for candidates. Finding the right person for the job is a big responsibility and the wrong decision can be often very costly for businesses.”
Notes to editor:
About Water for Fish
Water for Fish is a leading people and organisation consulting company that helps private and public sector clients shape their organisation to achieve their business goals. It does this through three service areas; Transformation - achieving the right shape and feel of an organisation; Assessment - getting the right people in the right roles; and, Learning - developing people in line with an organisation's ambitions.
Aon Consulting acquired Water for Fish in January 2006 to strengthen its Human Resources (HR) Solutions business, offering the firm a strong platform from which to build on its market share in the HR Consultancy area. The combined operation, under the Water for Fish brand name, is run from Aon Consulting’s existing offices in London and Farnborough, and the Water for Fish office in Henley, bringing Aon Consulting’s regional network of offices to 12. Ben Thornton, previously Executive Director in Aon’s HR Solutions practice, heads up the new Water for Fish group.
About Aon Consulting
Aon Consulting is a leading human capital consultancy, helping organisations of every size to attract and keep the employees they need. We advise on all aspects of employment, including health-related insurance and risk; employee compensation and pensions; human resource strategy planning; job design and change management; and staff assessment and legal issues. Aon Consulting is a division of Aon, one of the UK’s largest insurance brokers and providers of risk management services and a major force in reinsurance and the UK human capital consulting market. Aon Consulting Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
About Aon
Aon Corporation is a leading provider of risk management services, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, human capital and management consulting, and specialty insurance underwriting. There are 46,000 employees working in Aon's 500 offices in more than 120 countries. Backed by broad resources, industry knowledge and technical expertise, Aon professionals help a wide range of clients develop effective risk management and workforce productivity solutions.
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