Finding, attracting and hiring people who can get the
job done - or better, exceed the requirements of the job
- can take effort.
Sometimes it seems that you always need to find new and
innovative ways of attracting candidates in a hiring
market that is always so competitive for the best
talent.
It can take effort and planning to persuade top
applicants to accept a job.If you find that you're
losing top candidates to other offers, it’s important to
determine why. And equally, it is important to carefully
consider how you present job opportunities to
candidates.
Here are three issues that deserve examination:
When you have vacancies, do you really ‘sell’
what you are offering?
You should be highlighting the most appealing benefits
and perks of the job at every opportunity. A good option
sometimes, is to have top candidates meet with staff
members who can explain an insider's perspective on the
benefits your business offers.
Are your remuneration levels right for your
industry?
Some businesses have a definite policy of wanting to pay
more than competitors. They want the best people and
expect to pay for it. If having top people is important
to you, it's usually better to pay a little more than
your competitors. If you use a trusted human resources
consultant, this person can keep you abreast of current
salary ranges. And there are lots of ways of researching
salaries - including obtaining information from
professional and trade associations and specialised
recruiters.
Is your internal company culture attractive on the
outside?
Here, you need to have staff working on your behalf in
the outside community. By developing programs that
create a more supportive atmosphere, staff members are
more likely to tell their friends that the company is a
great place to work. Simple practices such as an
open-door management policy, and frequent praise and
recognition of staff, which are good things to do in any
case, can ensure that your people carry the company flag
for you.
One of the challenges in recruiting the best people is
balancing the need for care and the need for speed.
Hiring has such long-term consequences it is normal to
want to check references carefully and be as sure as
possible that your decision is right. After all, when
you get it wrong you can keep paying for your mistake
for a long time into the future.
On the other hand, excellent candidates, rarely remain
available for long. If you become aware of interest from
a highly rated individual, it is often important to move
quickly.
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When attempting to recruit promising applicants,
sometimes it is the simple things that can make a
difference. Job applicants can get a much more positive
impression of your company if the ‘housekeeping’ items
like the following are handled professionally with a
minimum of fuss.
- Demonstrate flexibility in interviewing – if an
after hours interview is required by a top
candidate, then this should be available. Similarly,
in different situations, a telephone interview can
be effective or maybe video conferencing should be
considered.
- To be fair, and to be perceived as fair, it is
important to follow a consistent process. And the
people communicating with candidates should be able
to explain the process clearly so that everyone
knows what to expect and can plan accordingly.
- The interview itself needs to be conducted
professionally in an appropriate venue (not normally
an executive’s office). It should start on time,
with a logical structure and the questions should be
clearly prepared. It is good to offer to cover
parking and travel expense for getting to the
interview.
- After the interview, there should be a quick
response with a thank you and further information.
If you want to go forward with the interview, it is
good to make the offer as soon as possible. An
unreasonable delay in the offer process, without a
specific reason being conveyed to the candidate, is
one of the surest ways of losing top people.
With the competition for excellent people being so
fierce, there is no magic formula for success in every
case. But if you observe these fundamentals, you are
giving yourself the best possible chance. |
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