Post-mortem meetings: why to have them
Posted by Megan Trippi
Once you finish a big project or assignment, you might analyze the process and what you would continue to do or change the next time. So why shouldn’t you do the same thing after a candidate signs their contract and becomes your new hire?
A post-mortem meeting is most often held upon completion of a project to determine what went well and what can be improved. The goal of a post-mortem meeting is to determine what went well and what can be improved, then produce action items that can improve a project or workflow next time. The same benefit can be gained for your hiring process.
You can conduct a post-mortem meeting at the end of the interview and hiring process and include your new hire to get their perspective on how everything went. This will help you see what might be done better next time - and show your candidate or new hire you value their opinion.
Prior to your meeting, you should circulate a questionnaire to give your hire and other members of the interview and hiring team - or anyone else included in the process - a chance to reflect on the process and prepare for the meeting.
Here are some questions to include on the questionnaire:
- What went well throughout the hiring process?
- Where could we make improvements during the process?
- What made you choose to move forward with our organization?
- Would you be open to discussing your answers at an in-person meeting?
During the meeting, include an agenda to keep everyone on track, have a template or worksheet to organize the discussion and points made during the gathering, and draft a document after you meet to recap the conversation. Make sure you have action items and next steps in the recap to utilize when filling your next opening.