As you launch your selection and interview process in search of a new recruit, you’ll want to keep an eye out for red flags and keep the gate firmly closed to anyone who can’t meet your exacting and specific standards. But while you’re barring the door to all but the most highly qualified, keep in mind that this channel moves in two directions. Your applicants (the best ones, anyway) are evaluating you just as rigorously as you’re evaluating them. So as you search for the credentials that meet your needs, make sure you’re also pitching the benefits of working for your company. Showcase your company’s best side and you’ll grab the attention of the most discerning job seekers.
Start with Your Post
The first contact you make with your candidate will take place as she reads your job post—and as you know, first impressions are critical. Use the post to brag about your company and its mission, and don’t miss an opportunity to show respect for the hard working employees who make this success story possible. After you’ve talked up the company, explain a few of the benefits that you’re proud to offer, like your 401K matching program, your family friendly policies, and your comprehensive health insurance.
Continue with Your First Conversation
After you narrow your resume pool and invite specific candidates in for interviews, don’t stop selling. Make it clear that you’d like to establish a respectful, mutually beneficial, long-term relationship with this person…even if this specific job isn’t a match. Your reputation depends on your ability to leave a positive impression with the employees in your industry and your area. It’s a small world, and what goes around comes around.
Keep Your Interviews Positive
Too often, managers make a common and damaging mistake: They establish the interview as a closed-off, adversarial, confrontational interaction with winners and losers on either side of the table. If you treat your candidate like she’s on trial or cross examine her like a child, you’ll fail in two ways: First, you’ll alienate the talented candidates who have other options, and second, you’ll attract the desperate applicants who are willing to accept this type of treatment…These aren’t the ones you want on your team.
Explain your Plans and the Direction of your Future Growth
Just as you ask your candidates where they expect to take their careers in three, five, and ten years, respond in kind. Let them know what you see for the future of this role, and also the future of the company. Paint a detailed picture and let them decide on their own how this picture aligns with their goals and plans.
For more on how to attract strong candidates by highlighting what your company has to offer, reach out to the staffing team at Expert.