Finding a great candidate is hard enough. It takes patience and a keen eye for experience and potential. The last thing you want is for an ideal fit to slip away and pursue other offers; especially if the recruiting process is long, it can be challenging to keep candidates interested. But we’re hiring experts – we know how to keep candidates engaged. Here are our top tips for successful hiring.
Communication
It should go without saying – but communicating early and often is key to stimulating candidates. Stay on their mind, push forward with interviews, and be transparent about timelines and processes. If you’re bulk hiring, automation can streamline communication and ensure it is timely. However, if you’re engaging a high-level candidate, like a c-suite executive, personalized messages via text reflect your genuine interest while decreasing response time from the candidate.
Simplify the Hiring Process
How some companies hire reminds me of the timeless adage: KISS, Keep it Simple Stupid. The hiring process doesn’t need to be convoluted, and it’s better for everyone when the process is straightforward. Most importantly, stop doing excessive interviews. Forcing candidates through a 7+ step interview process is unnecessary and pushes them away.
Perhaps you scrolled past the viral LinkedIn post last summer from Mike Conley, a software engineering leader, recounting his experience with a company that had a 10-step interview process. Conley stated, “[M]aking interviews more and more lengthy and difficult can lose you the talent… I wasn’t just thinking about my hiring experience. I also withdrew because the role is one that would repeatedly hire team members in a company that is in its growth stage. I did not want to be part of a system that is this taxing on candidates.”
Employ a pre-selection process with open-ended questions. Make sure applications are intuitive, and interviews effective. You won’t be wasting your time and resources nor the candidates.
Meet the Team
This can be a crucial step in the hiring process, and it is vital after you extend an offer. Invite your ideal candidates into the office – or a team Zoom meeting – so they can meet the team. The right candidate isn’t just the one with the best resume, but the one who also can seamlessly mesh into your corporate culture. Put them to the test – bring them in for a friendly conversation.
On the other hand, if you’ve already extended an offer to the candidate but have an extensive onboarding process, keep them interested by showing them around and letting them meet their new colleagues.
Keeping candidates engaged is your job, but finding top-notch talent is ours. Contact GRN Mid-cities, and you’ll have access to our global network of experienced and innovative professionals you won’t find on job boards. You will find the next candidate you wish to court effortlessly.