We’ve all heard it before, in the current market, great talent is hard to find, and even harder to get on board.
In the words of JLS, you only get one shot, so make it count! It's imperative that you get your recruitment process right. Currently, good candidates have a lot of choice between potential employers. Gone are the days where the most money wins! It isn't just money that talks in 2022. The experience of a potential employers process has a huge impact on a final decision. Here are 5 key areas where your process needs to dominate your competition to increase your chance of securing the top talent for your business.
You guessed it, at the top of my list is is speed. Your process must be fast, without compromising the quality and detail of the process. If you can't keep up with the speed of other interview processes that your candidates are going through, you will lose that candidate before you've even begun your process. Speed is of the essence throughout the entire process including after a verbal offer is made. The number of candidates withdrawing from a process after a verbal offer based on a long wait for offer letters and contracts is scary. Don't fall at the final hurdle, get documentation out ASAP!
One of the single biggest killers of recruitment processes is making candidates bend over backwards with labour intensive stages, including heavy compliance processes. Speaking with candidates every day, we've asked the question and a high percentage of candidates have said they will withdraw from a process if they're asked to complete assessments or other administrative tasks prior to attending a face to face interview. We've also come up against another issue which takes momentum out of the process and that's when you struggle to marry up diaries, or interviews being organised way too far in advance. My advice is block out some time in your diary including an evening, allowing your process to continue at pace.
Another crucial part of the process is to make it personable. This is your chance to sell the business to the candidate. Shoot your shot. Share as much information about the company, the people and the role will put you in a good position. Take time to get to know your candidates, remember most candidates pick a hiring manager, not a business. This is also an opportunity for you to learn about the person rather than the CV which summarises the candidates work experience, this is a vital tool which should be used throughout the process.
The most successful recruitment processes are always ones that do not leave the candidate surprises. Take time to understand and qualify the candidate before inviting them in for a face to face. Making sure you allow the candidate and you as the hiring manager to make an informed decision based on a number of criteria. The candidate needs to understand the expectations, the process from first phone call to an offer, leave nothing out. This will give the candidate a timescale to work with, 1-0 to your process. Ask them to research your business and confirm their interest, this will identify the talent who really want to be a part of your journey. 2-0.
Your process is almost complete, you've acted with speed, blocked dates in your diary for interviews, you've taken time to understand your shortlisted candidates and given information related to the role, business and culture. Great, you've set interviews up for the candidates and one candidate in particular has smashed it. 'Ok, you've done really well and if it was my call you'd be straight in. I'm just waiting for sign off' NO, NO, NO! You need a clear decision making process. If you have taken the time to execute your process to perfection make sure you've agreed the budget ahead of starting your search. The most effective and best way to handle the final part of your process is to 'pre-close', but before that let the candidate know your intentions. An easy way to do that is to be clear 'we are happy with your ability and our intention is to make you an offer' at this point use a 'preclose' technique ensuring everyone is on the same page, this way you know what it will take in order for a positive outcome to your search.
If everyone is still on the same page after this, extend the offer to the candidate and providing you've done what you said you would do, your outcome will be positive.
