Great job candidates are hard to find in these times of historic low unemployment. To attract the best, you have to offer the usual incentives of competitive pay, meaningful work, and good benefits. But have you considered that your hiring process itself might be driving excellent prospects away?
Candidates can tell much about your culture from your application process: Is it simple to apply? Is it easy to find out what working at your company is really like? Do candidates hear from you – whether good news or bad? If the answer to these questions is no, you can be sure that candidates are voting with their feet without you even knowing it.
Check out these tips for keeping talent engaged from application to offer:
- Appeal to the candidate you want to hire. Candidates have many options and want to know “What’s in it for me?” in a new opportunity. For an entry-level position, the prospect of growth and development might be the driver. Also, consider which job boards would best reach your ideal candidates.
- Write an Ad, not a job description. Keep it short and sweet. Paint a picture of the type of person you hope to hire, from specialized skills to key traits. Evaluate whether some skills could be learned by a trainable candidate. Providing a high-level view encourages applicants to read the entire job posting and apply. Save the detailed description for the interview process.
- Make technology your friend. Now that you have candidates hooked, make it easy for them to apply. Skip the company-specific application or assessments. Instead, provide an easy way for candidates to send a resume or profile. Engaging a recruiting partner, such as the pros at Resourcing Edge, can broaden your available resources to include use of an applicant tracking system (ATS) or access to additional job boards to post your ad.
- Keep candidates excited about the opportunity. A few brief, well-engineered touchpoints are crucial at the beginning of the candidate review process. Consider giving candidates homework to learn more about your company and report back. Asking for their feedback tells candidates you are interested in their opinion and want them to be successful in future stages of the process.
- Interview like a pro. Realize that your candidates are interviewing you as much as you are interviewing them. Put the company’s best foot forward by doing the small things well. Be organized in scheduling the interview and set realistic timing expectations. Be prompt and prepared. Candidates can tell if you are reading their resume for the first time in the interview. Invest the time to review their resume in advance and prepare appropriate questions, just as you would expect outstanding candidates to prepare for an interview.
- Set realistic expectations about your hiring process. Provide candidates with reasonable timeframes by which they will hear from you and follow through. A candidate might not be the right fit for this position, right now. However, the person may be a great candidate for a different position. Go the extra mile now in your professional decorum to build a stronger network for the future.
- Make decisions quickly. Candidates are likely engaged for the duration of the interview process but are looking for a prompt decision after they interview. Consider scheduling all interviews within a condensed time frame, even if that means delaying an interview a few days, to decrease the time between the interview and a decision. Each day you delay an offer is a day that another company could be making a competitive offer.
- Be proactive. Instead of posting an ad in a time of desperate need, work on building your network and searching proactively. If recruiting consistently and frequently sounds like a lot of work, it is! Enlist seasoned recruiters, like the ones at Resourcing Edge, to serve as your partners in talent acquisition. They can focus on sourcing and screening good candidates and keeping them engaged in your process. This allows you to concentrate on finding the right fit amongst a smaller pool of higher quality candidates.
Resourcing Edge offers direct-hire recruiting services in all major markets throughout the US. Our services can be customized to fit your needs, whether handling the entire recruiting process, designing performance models and coordinating assessments, or consulting on your recruiting program. Contact Resourcing Edge to learn more about how we can partner with you in your recruiting process.
Marisa joined the recruiting team at Resourcing Edge in 2018 after several years in a high-demand, customer service role. She has quickly made an impact finding quality candidates for hard-to-fill corporate roles. Marisa supports clients across several industries, including healthcare, sales and business operations. True to her roots in hospitality, Marisa thrives on making a good match for clients and candidates alike.
- Introducing a New Benefit—Health Advocate - July 22, 2021
- Assurity Benefits – Protecting you and the ones that you love - July 22, 2021
- Politics in the Workplace - November 20, 2020