By Chris Hillman, Recruiting Professional
SearchPath of Chicago, Inc.
searchpathofchicago.com
A position might be the dream position, or the goal for a candidate but if the whole experience or package is lacking, candidates could pass on the opportunity very quickly. In part 1, we’re going to provide tips on how to enhance the whole recruiting process so that candidates are “wowed” from the beginning. On average, 50% of job seekers have declined a job offer due to a poor candidates experience, so that “wow” is crucial. Start with the recruiting process:
- Understand the position and talent you want – taking the time up front to understand what the role truly is and what talent you want in that seat will help set you up for success. By understanding the core competencies that you’re looking for from the outset, better aligns every team member in the process so that everybody is assessing the same qualifications.
- Set a schedule, and stick to it – know when you want to hire someone by and work backwards to back into dates for references, offers, interviews (all of them), phone screens, etc. The next step is to communicate important dates and stick to it with the candidate – if you schedule an interview for Friday, do everything in your power to not reschedule that interview. If you tell a candidate you’ll be in touch by end of week, be in touch by end of day Friday. Setting expectations with candidates and changing the reality makes it appear as though you’re unorganized, unsure or in no rush and all of those impair their impression of you and the organization.
- Communicate with candidates – Allow both candidates and interviewers to be prepared for conversations. Provide job description, resumes and any pertinent information for each party ahead of the interview.
- Interviewer training – ensure that every employee that plans to meet with candidates knows how to conduct an interview, gives full attention to the candidate and equipped to answer questions about the role and the company.
The first part of the recruiting process is to essentially ensure that you’re organized and prepared to professionally run a recruiting round. If candidates sense a lack of organization, understanding, urgency or any other red flag, they may walk away from a dream position because the company isn’t want they want.
For additional information, please email Chris Hillman or call (815) 261-4403 x 100
