Finding the right candidates for your business!
In today’s interdependent work environment, finding the right match of skills, abilities and vision for the job and for the company is an intricate skill. And what’s more concerning is that more and more candidates are being picky about what job roles they accept – if they don’t feel the company has the right opportunities or culture for them, they won’t accept the job. This means we need to be smart about how we recruit for roles and make opportunities as attractive as possible. So where do you start?
- The Job Spec: Firstly, what exactly are you looking for? You might know what kind of skills you want the ideal candidate to have, but have you considered their personality and work attitude too? You need to consider the impact on team dynamics and you want to ensure they will fit into your company culture! Be clear and honest on your job description – as one of the biggest reasons people leave a job is because the day to day aspects of the job was nothing like the one advertised. Remember when you are putting the brief together – why would somebody want to work with you? What makes you different and what’s attractive about the role? What extra’s are you offering your candidates – whether its training and advancement opportunities or a free on-site gym and car park, then use it to sell your role!
- The Review Process: If you have good hiring practices in place and a clear job description defining your exact requirements, it will make the vetting process a simpler one. The best way of attracting the most relevant candidates is by clearly defining the skills and personality traits that you are looking for. But be careful – a job brief that’s too complicated or lists too many essential criteria can put people off applying and eliminate eligible candidates. Employers should instigate recruitment processes that will maximise the engagement, commitment and potential of new recruits, and provide training and advancement opportunities.
- The Preparation: Sadly, and quite shockingly really, only 38.2% of candidates receive any information prior to their interview other than the date, time and location! You can’t expect somebody to perform well in an interview if you don’t brief them on what you are expecting them to do on the day. Whether it’s a presentation they need to prepare or some research they need to take out, communication is key with the candidates prior to the interview. Tell them what you expect of them on the day so they can be prepared!
- The Interview: Firstly, employers must ensure that all those who take part in an interview have undergone appropriate training in order to acquire all the relevant skills required. The interviews must be conducted properly and fairly and be structured and formalised. We highly recommend you use a system to grade each candidate depending on their interview answers – this can help you make your decision on who is best for the role. Be welcoming and professional, but also try and build a rapport with the candidates – 80% of candidates would choose one role over the other because of the personal relationship built during the interview process!
- The Decision Making & Follow Up: 60% of potential candidates abandon the recruitment journey because of its length, so please don’t keep people waiting. Get in touch with all your candidates – even if they weren’t successful. Something else also worth noting is that the average job seeker reads 6 reviews on a company before making an informed decision about a role and two thirds of candidates believe current employees offer the best insight into working in a role. You might want to consider these statistics in your recruitment process!