As we continue to see labor shortages and experience the new phenomenon of ‘The Great Resignation’, employers everywhere are scrambling to not only find the best candidates available in the market, but to secure the right talent quickly for their teams.
Candidates are taking the experience of the interview processes more and more as part of their consideration in deciding whether to accept job offers and to join a company. The interview process has always been a glimpse of what a company is like, and it has become more important for a candidate to understand about the company culture, beliefs, and how they conduct business than other monetary benefits.
Fortunately, there are ways for employers to improve the candidate experience through their interview process so that the best talent will choose them in the end:
1) It all starts with a great strategy
Employers need to understand that different positions require a different approach to recruiting. You cannot approach a C-level position the same way you would hire an office assistant because the target audience is different, recruitment cycle is different, and the method of recruitment needs to be different. By having good strategies in placement means that you have a plan for any position that becomes available. Some of the preparation includes well-written job descriptions, available tools, and resources to find targeted candidates, structured interview processes, specific interview questions to ask candidates, and a streamlined approval process to name a few.
2) Better communication and do it often
The number one negative feedback that candidates give about any recruitment process isn’t the fact that they didn’t get selected, but the fact that they sometimes don’t hear back from recruiters / HR. Candidates don’t mind being told that they were not right for a position or the fact that someone else was chosen instead of them. What they don’t like the most is that they do not hear anything during the interview process, whether it is at the resume submission / review stage, or post-interview stage. They simply want to know what’s going on and sometimes not hearing from a company after going through several rounds of interviews can be disengaging and enough of a reason to turndown an offer even if they’re selected.
3) Shorten your recruitment and selection process
Businesses need to understand that the very best candidates do not stay available on the market for very long these days. On average, candidates can start their search, to sending their applications, to interviewing, and finally receiving an offer from someone all within 2 weeks of time. Not only are you competing with other companies who are also trying to find talent for their own teams, but since candidates may have many interviews and offers coming their way, you do not want them to forget about you simply because you let days / weeks go by between each step of your process. Cutting out any unnecessary steps and shorten the time between each step of your recruitment and selection process.
4) Setting timelines and expectations
Now, if your process does involve several people and there’s just no way to streamline the process into one meeting, it is important that the timeline and expectations are communicated with potential candidates so that they know what to expect. If you know it will be several days / weeks before the candidate will hear back from you after one stage of the interview process, let them know so that they are not left wondering during that time. If candidates are aware of the situation, they understand that every company’s process is different.
5) Be Honest and Transparent
Always be upfront with your candidates and never misguide them, give false information, or hide anything from candidates because you’re afraid of losing those candidates. Candidates are going to engage into an employment relationship with your team and nothing is worst than being lied to or led onto believing something which turns out not to be true. This will have a far worst impact that for them to know about something heading into it and deciding to either accept it or reject it because it’s not for them.
6) Be Flexible, stay organized and keep track of your top candidates
Gone are the days where Employers and business hold a bit of an edge when it comes to recruitment and interviewing. The tables have turned as job candidates and the top talent are harder to come by and companies must pivot to attract the right talent for them. One must be flexible in scheduling for interviews and the method to interview. With the world brought closer and closer together by the internet, much of the interview process can be done over the phone or through video conferencing to make it easier for all parties involved. Also, use all available tools that you must stay organized on your scheduled interviews and keep track of all the candidates in consideration and which stage they’re at. Sometimes it’s easy to lose track of who’s good and who’s not and who’s even interested when there are many applicants.
7) Be ready to showcase your company
Lastly, employers need to be ready to sell themselves as the top talents in the market are looking for reasons to join a company (and reasons to leave their current employment). It goes beyond just money as job seekers are looking for other non-monetary perks such as: work-life balance, remote work, diversity, equality, inclusion, team / work environment, and more. Employers must do more than just pay someone’s paycheck to attract talent because anyone can give a paycheck, but not everyone can create an environment of work that people enjoy.
Even though it may seem harder and harder to find and attract the top talent these days, but with the right strategy and methods in place, companies can make it easier to recruit and find the right match by keeping job candidates engaged and improve the overall experience.
Contact Us today to speak with one of our Recruitment Specialists and let us help you build your team with talent today!