Recruitment and growth remain at the forefront of many business’ priorities and this increased appetite to recruit has led to a very competitive and candidate-short market in many areas.
Often the struggle to recruit is amplified by the inability of organizations to implement a seamless recruitment process. This means that teams are needlessly missing out on the top talent in the market. The inability to recruit and fill vacancies also impacts on the retention of existing staff, whereby team members are left frustrated and over-worked.
A structured recruitment process will give you a better chance of securing the right candidates as well as keeping the existing team happy and motivated.
Consider these measures to ensure that you are running a tight process.
Clearly Defined Timescales
Have a timeframe and stick. Think about when you need this person to start and keep your mind focused on that date.
Set aside time to focus on the recruitment process. Heavy workloads often mean that partners take their eyes off the recruitment process.
Recruitment takes time. Gather CVs, shortlisting candidates, then conduct first-round interviews (and potentially second interviews) before you get to offer and acceptance stage.
The closer you work with your recruiter and the better you stick to timescales, the better chance you have of getting hired.
Be Honest and Open with your Recruiter
It is the job of your recruiter to represent you to their candidate base. To do this, your recruiter needs to know you and your team/ organization inside out so that they can sell the opportunity.
Meet your recruiter, fully brief them and give them as much information as you can about the role, the workload, the client base, and the USPs of the opportunity.
A good recruiter will be honest about how realistic your requirements are. If they’re not realistic, the recruiter will help you to separate the ‘must-haves’ from the ‘nice-to-haves’.
Move Faster than your Competition
As soon as you see a CV or resume that piques your interest, you should meet the candidate as soon as possible, even if you feel some uncertainty. You can raise any concerns you may have in an interview.
A rapid response will make the candidate feel wanted and it creates a good initial impression. If you get ahead of your competition, your first impression will always be stronger than theirs and it can put you firmly in pole position.
Make Sure you Provide Feedback
The lack of feedback following an interview is a candidate’s main gripe. They have taken the time to meet with you, so even if the candidate is a “no” you must relay this with sufficient detail as to why.
If the feedback is positive, then pass this on quickly. If you really like a candidate, but your senior leadership needs to rubber stamp it with another meeting, then give some feedback on the areas to the candidate.
Quality feedback both positive and negative also helps you recruiter to further understand your requirements. All of this gives you the best opportunity to secure the best candidates on the market.
Making the Offer
Make the offer as soon as you can and make sure it’s a great offer that won’t disappoint. There’s no point going in back and forth with different offers. It’s not a great footing to start off on.
If you’ve been upfront from the outset about salary expectations then there should be no need for surprises at this stage. Don’t lose out on the best candidate in an attempt to save a few bucks.
Keep in Touch
Once the candidate has accepted the position, don’t forget about them!
Keep in touch during their notice period. Firstly, this will make the move as seamless as possible for them and they will already feel integrated into the team if they are invited to team events, etc.
Secondly (and most importantly), the candidate is still likely to be called about other opportunities or their current company may try to persuade them to stay while they are serving their notice period.
There are many instances of candidates having their heads turned during their notice period and then reneging on their acceptance.
It’s no secret that the success of a business relies on the people within it.
It, therefore, stands to reason that the hiring process is one of the most important aspects for a business to get right.
Every correctly appointed, well looked after and nurtured new employee, has the potential to bring new unique ideas, abilities and positive action, increasing the effectiveness and success of the company as a whole. Working well with your recruitment agency is a move in the right direction.
Contributor Post at SylvianeNuccio.com
A good consultancy always keeps in touch with the candidates even when they selected. Great article!