The Dos & Don’ts of Recruiting
Don’t: Wait!
In today’s highly competitive labor market, communication is key! Things are moving quickly, and job candidates need timely communication to remain interested and engaged in an open employment opportunity. To accomplish this, companies should remain highly responsive throughout the hiring process. If a candidate has applied or been sent to you and you are interested in speaking with them, don't delay!
I understand that sometimes it’s nice to see a few different profiles to compare and decide who you want to move into the interview phase with but with today’s rapid candidate movement, there’s no time to spare.
Do: Engage with qualified candidates immediately!
Engaging with job candidates early and often is crucial to keep them on board and build that personal connection that is meaningful in their decision-making process. Encourage job seekers by communicating openly about your interest in learning more about their background and initial impressions. Once someone has applied, that is usually the start of their candidate experience, so it’s important to make a strong first impression. This is a great way to stand apart from competitors and begin building trust.
Don’t: Be so vague with your job descriptions
In the IT industry, we see so many job descriptions that, if you removed the company name, could be anywhere! Try to be descriptive and specific in your job descriptions so that candidates and recruiters are poised to find you the specialized, qualified candidates with the right background and mix of skills you're seeking for an open IT opportunity.
Do: Share specific job summaries!
Being specific about exactly "who" and "what" you are looking for can help narrow the job search and hopefully reduce the time you're sifting through irrelevant resumes. Think about the role's day-to-day activities, who they will be reporting to, how big the team is, what project(s) they'll be taking on, what specific technologies they need experience in, and what are your absolute "must-haves" or just "nice to haves." Bundling up all the significant details into a job description can attract the right candidates. Or, if you're working with a recruiting partner, it can help refine the search for qualified candidates.
Don’t: Be unorganized with the interview process
Recruiters and hiring managers should be on the same page about the interview process and able to communicate it to candidates throughout the course of interviews. Preferably, it should be as concise as possible while maintaining the integrity of the interview vetting/process. With candidates who are trying to find their next step in a sea of opportunity, it’s significant for them to know where they stand in the process, approximate timelines, and next steps they can expect, so they can best prepare and respond.
Do: Set clear expectations and inform next steps
Even if your interview process is less than ideal in terms of rounds or exercises, letting candidates know upfront what that process looks like can help them plan and determine what is best for their time. This can be especially important if candidates have final interviews or have offers being made, but remain interested in your organization. If they feel like they’re being strung along in your process without an end in sight, it may be discouraging, and they may jump on one of those other opportunities. So, be respectful of everyone’s time.
Don’t: Take too long to give feedback
Even if an interview has gone just about perfect, a candidate can't read your mind. If they are not hearing from you, they could be assuming the worst and carrying on with their hiring efforts elsewhere, losing interest and focus on your organization. I cannot stress enough that providing timely feedback is key to enhancing the candidate experience and solidifying their engagement in the process.
Do: Give personalized and detailed feedback
Along with giving prompt feedback, being as detailed as possible can be extremely valuable to all parties involved. Share in detail why a particular candidate was or was not the right fit. It could help the candidate set themselves up better for the future. Or, if you are working with a recruiting agency/partner, it can help them hone in on their search, providing you with better-fit candidates in the future.
Don’t: Be so one-sided in the interview
It's a candidate market, and that means as much as this person is selling themselves and their talents, you need to be doing the same. To better the candidate experience and even the playing field, don't spend the entire interview grilling them with questions and not acknowledging what they can expect in return. This needs to be a two-way street, and they want to know upfront—how are they benefiting from joining your organization? Why does your company deserve them? Odds are, they are considering other options. So, bringing up your value propositions could impact their overall impression, experience, and decision.
Do: Make the candidate feel good about the potential of joining your team
This should be the fun part! Talk about all the things your company has to offer and what you love about the organization that brought and kept you on board so far!
- What are the benefits like?
- What do you do for fun?
- How are the people?
- What are your values?
- How much flexibility is offered?
Don’t: Give up on a candidate once they’ve accepted the role
Wahoo, they’ve accepted your offer! Now what? Don’t cut off communication and just assume this person is good to go for day one. You’ve spent all this time getting to know the candidate and nurturing them throughout the interview process; now is arguably the most important time to remain engaged with them as they look to join your company in a couple of days or weeks.
Do: Check in as the start date approaches
Keep that chain of communication going, and at this point, it should be highly personal check-ins. This will help them feel confident, prepared for their start, happy about their decision, and the perfect way to close out their overall experience with being hired at your company.
If you’re struggling with engaging candidates throughout the hiring process, please feel free to reach out; we’d love to help!
This week’s blog post was written by our Account Executive, Marie Repucci. If you’d like to get in touch with Marie regarding any of your hiring needs, send her an email at mrepucci@marketstreettalent.com!
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