All companies want to find and bring in the best possible talent; it makes logical sense. Now ask yourself a question: When was the last time you truly examined your hiring process? If you feel you haven’t managed to attract the kind of candidates you want, you may need to look at your hiring practices and see how you can make them more positively influence a candidate’s decision to choose you. The necessity of hiring a person means you have a problem that needs solving, and you want the right person to help do that — so how do you tailor your hiring process to make yourself attractive to the kind of workers you want?
- Have a strong online presence. The Internet face you present to candidates can attract or keep away those you hope to bring in. Keep social media current — it’s a prime way to communicate with potential employees, to promote your business and all that you do. Similarly to social media, keep your website current with news of company happenings and latest innovations/changes. Look at your Career page (and make sure you have one) — would it pull in a top candidate? Want to give candidates an inside look into company culture? Create a blog and, again, update it regularly. You need to make sure you’re demonstrating an engaged company that candidates will want to become a part of.
- Keep it clear and timely. A major factor that influences candidates is transparency during the process. Make sure the candidates you want to keep interested understand clearly what the position entails, including job description and duties. Don’t leave them guessing as to the next steps of the process — keep them adequately informed of the timeline for second interviews, decision making, and the like. Keep the process as efficient as possible, too: If the candidate has to wait for months before hearing anything, she may well take another offer in the meantime.
- The candidate isn’t the only one under scrutiny. Avoid the mindset of, “Well, the market is so tough right now, this candidate should feel grateful that we’re looking at him.” Candidates see the hiring process as an extension of how you run your business. If they constantly have to deal with poor communication from you, a lack of professional respect or an unorganized process, that gives them an indication of what to expect once hired – whether it’s a true reflection of the company or not. And bear in mind the fact that candidates can affect your bottom line: After a bad experience, they may choose not to use your company’s services or products…and in this digital age, they will share those sentiments with their social media networks.
The hiring process includes both sides marketing themselves for the other. Make sure you “sell” your company in the best possible light to attract the candidates you want, and work with our experienced recruiting team at PrideStaff Thousand Oaks to get advice on how best to streamline and improve your process.
