How to 'Recruit Well'
Being able to hire well can make an enormous difference to the outcome of a recruitment campaign. Several line managers we’ve spoken to recently have asked for our hints and tips on how to run a successful recruitment process.
Here’s our ‘How To’ guide, and as always, if you need more information, please let us know
Where to start?
Make sure you know WHO you are looking for. Does this person exist? And have you positioned the salary at the right level (we can help with this)?
Brief your recruiter or talent partner well. Whether it’s face to face or a Teams call, take the time to ‘sell’ the role to them. Motivate them to find you the best people in the market.
Have a USP. Why should someone leave their current role and join you. Make sure you have a compelling proposition and don’t cut corners.
Timing
Is everything! It really is. Now, not all roles can be recruited when it suits the market. If you have a resignation mid-July or the week before Christmas and you need to replace the role, that’s life.
But there are things you can do to help yourself. Work to a defined project timeline, just like a marketing campaign. Define dates for advertising, searching for candidates and interview dates.
Block out time in stakeholders diaries to make sure there’s not a long gap between interviews as attrition from recruitment processes is high at the moment.
Allow for notice periods and anticipate any counter-offer with a robust plan to support the candidate and recruiter. This helps to ensure this doesn’t delay your ideal candidate starting as soon as you need them.
And here’s a great stat for you – Tuesdays are peak ‘job application’ days. In fact, we see a spike of website hits each and every Tuesday. So if you’re planning to place an ad – make sure it’s live on a Tuesday!
Set the Scene
Face to face interviews are increasing (well, for now) but whether you’re meeting someone in the flesh or meeting them on Zoom or Teams, preparation is key.
If it’s a face to face, make sure the candidate is expected on site, parking space and meeting room booked (and no-one’s snuck into it). Or all the IT is set up for an online interview with no interruptions (yes, we do mean Amazon deliveries😉).
A very brief presentation on the business at the start not only gives a great introduction to the business/team, but also calms the candidate down if they’re nervous.
Questions comes next of course, and with time at the end for the candidate to ask what they need to know. Explain (if you can) what the next steps are in the process, what the induction might look like, and how people progress within the business (we’re trying to ‘wow’ the candidate here).
A site or factory tour can be a great way of a candidate visualising themselves in the business, as well as a hiring manager or future colleague spending time with them in the day to day setting. Observations, from both sides, can be a great way of finding out more about each other.
And finally, send the candidate away with something. Our clients in FMCG find this easy to do with product samples or small gift packs, but if you’re in a different sector, find some corporate goodies. Whether the candidate is right for you or not, they’ll talk about your business to colleagues and friends, and the impression you leave can last.
Properly 'Manage the Process'
Make sure you’ve got all the information YOU need at your fingertips. Candidate’s current salary and expectations, notice period, likelihood of any counteroffer. You know that your recruiter will have had these conversations, but double check them.
Does the candidate have other roles they are considering? How does the role with you stack up? Do they prefer you or another opportunity? Our advice assumes an honest and open candidate of course, but make sure there’s as much transparency as possible.
How likely is a counteroffer? Quite likely at the moment…there are some terrible stats that state 90% of candidates who accept a counteroffer still move on after 6 months but that’s a flimsy way to deflect one.
Make sure your offer is competitive (don’t ever low-ball a candidate), and ensure you play to their motivations. Career development, working with international markets, more autonomy – whatever it is, make sure it’s PART of the offer, not an afterthought.
Good luck!