What's the best way to sell your company to potential hires?

I think nowadays candidates are looking for companies that tick a lot of boxes. Companies that are making social impact with their efforts, companies who are making sure that employees feel inclusive. As a recruiter it's important that you understand the company's or team's value proposition but also how this fits with what the talent is looking for. Candidates can see if you believe in the company’s mission and if you are authentic in your communication. My personal philosophy is to make sure the candidates goes through a process that if they are offered the opportunity they have all the information needed to be able to make a decision.

A very wise colleague once said, "it's hard to sell something you yourself don't believe in." That stuck with me. I have turned down some amazing offers because I wasn't in alignment with the company's values. I strongly believe in my company's mission and values, and I don't even think about "selling" it. I just have real conversations with my candidates about my experiences with the company.

A good recruiter is an expert on the company's mission, vision, values, long-term growth strategies, immediate challenges - they should be able to speak on every aspect of an organization. A great recruiter will understand the preferences and requirements of a candidate and be able to then align that story to the candidate's goals and highlight where there is a good match. The best recruiter will be transparent and highlight potential challenges in a transparent, candid manner and educate the candidate on the benefits they will find regardless of those challenges.

Clarity and openness go a long way! During an initial call, it is crucial to understand which are the key things for an individual when applying and then adjust your pitch according to that. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. I usually start with the important ones and stress the aspects that cover the candidate's expectations, then I reshape the rest of the information about the product, clients, and market fit, and provide as many perspectives as possible. What I like to do is also provide context around what I share. For example, some of the strategic goals that the company has, which initiatives are bound to them, and how the role correlates to all of that.

You have 7 Seconds! 7 seconds is the average time someone will make a decision on you, your brand and what you stand for according to research. It then only makes sense to make those 7 seconds the most insightful,engaging and personable seconds in a potential candidate's day. It can be difficult to shake the impression of "Me, Myself & I" as a company and person. So.. Be human! we all have similar interests, we all have similar problems. Add real value to someone's day as they scroll through social media. Don't brag. Celebrate other peoples accomplishments! Don't be embarrassed by mistakes, others will have done the same thing before, share your experience, what did it teach you, how have you moved past it. Be Human. Be Fun. Be Real

There is no one right way to build and communicate your employer brand. You only need to "showcase your company culture, values, and achievements, and highlight the stories and testimonials of your current employees" if that reflects how your company is different.

The first interaction with a candidate is the start of their impression of you. Leading with empathy is key. Include wages in your job postings, specify clear steps in the hiring process, and reduce your job description length to meet the needs of candidates. A great candidate experience is key for a strong employer brand.

Podcasts is a great way of directly connecting the candidate to the hiring manager. Not HR saying how good the business is. Show off the teams, invite candidates to open days or Podcasts prior to the interview, so they can ask questions and what the challenges are really like. If you want to showcase your "Inclusive" get testimonials from Neurodiverse members of the team, show off what extra support you give.

Transparent communication and authenticity are key factors. A good recruiter should never try to convince a good matching candidate to participate in a selection process. A recruiter should be a great facilitator, communicate all facts, answer all questions objectively and request the candidate to investigate the company through due diligence and research to make a decision. Words pull the trigger, but instinct loads the gun. It has to feel right from the beginning.

A great candidate pitch is about a lot more than company perks and benefits, and what they will 'get' once they sign on. The pitch should give them the picture of how it will FEEL to join the organization. Pitch the culture and rituals that reveal your company values better than your employee handbook ever could. Pitch the communities of people they will meet - a tribe with shared interests and or similar life stage. Pitch the ambitions of the team they'll join and the opportunity to build it together. These details are what make or break our fit with a company. These experiences are the stories that make it to the dinner table each evening.

In order to make use of your EVP in practice, you'll need to understand that it's a not one size fits all situation - different candidates will be attracted to different parts of your value prop. Understanding the individual candidate's motivations is key. If you learn they are looking for mentorship and to be taken under the wing of someone and you've got a great mentorship program in place, adjust your pitch to this!.. If the person values getting to work across with and learn from other departments and this is a big part of how your organization operates, make sure to focus on that. Play to your organization's strengths and the candidate's interests by focusing on how the two could match together.

I like to deploy learning from sales coaches here Why you, why now what's and the benefits to them? No features. Remove the responsibilities from your pitch and focus on the stuff people care about.

Ask your candidates why they are looking for new opportunities and what their top priorities are when it comes to the job and company culture they are seeking. That way you know what their must-haves are and can highlight how your company and role can align with their needs. This is also your opportunity to provide transparency if they are looking for things that your company can't provide.

I great way to tailor your pitch is turn to people internally for them to preach. Let's say you have a candidate who is part of a certain community having someone from the same community talk about what the organization is doing is a great way to tailor your pitch.

There is never any added gain to withholding information from anyone in-process, worse yet is someone providing sugar-coated feedback. I'm not saying you should tear someone apart when providing negative feedback but why not use the feedback and discuss this with a candidate? Understand where this feedback comes from? What can the candidate do to improve next time? At Jobdeck? we do this from the outset, our system allows candidates to self-analyse their own brand against a position with the help of AI and Human Experts! Being open and honest means repeat business, it means returning candidates and it means even if the candidate doesn't get your role, they have the very best opportunity to get something else elsewhere.

Sharing a "downside" is its own reward. It makes people believe all the nice things you say about a company far more. It creates credibility. It shows that you're not "selling" the job. Every good part of a job has a dark side. Alongside "innovation and autonomy" comes a level of chaos. Alongside "supportive and collaborative" comes a measure of slowness. Alongside "performance-focused" comes cut throat competition. Admit and allow for that downside, and the candidate will trust you far more than Mr/Ms "Everything here is amazing!"

The best way to build a relationship with a candidate is through trust and transparency. Having a solid relationship built on these two items will make an opportunity much more appealing as candidates will feel more comfortable with making such a huge decision like changing jobs. Practice active listening during every step of the process to understand a candidates motivations, this enables recruiters to then tailor an opportunity that will address those next step motivations. Providing as much information as possible about the opportunity, the organization and the process provides insight and demonstrates value to candidates resulting in a positive relationship.

By sharing what your business is currently struggling with, you give the candidate the opportunity to highlight how they can step in to help. Things always need improvement and no company is perfect, but new additions to the team should always uplift them and fill essential skills gaps. If you can't be upfront about where you're looking to improve, how can the candidate showcase their ability to do so? Of course, dishonest tactics on the road to signing an offer will come back to bite you - every time. Probationary periods go both ways, so they're testing you out too. With such an active market, there's likely another company that they turned down praying that you weren't what you say you were.

100% all the time. Transparency is key in hiring the best. People appreciate being told things before they come to reality. If they can accept they were told this then you'll be starting off on a better footing and they will feel part of the solution when you try to solve the challenge.

In my experience, establishing expectations at the start of a conversation is beneficial: outlining the number of steps in the recruitment process, setting interview and timeline expectations. These simple steps foster trust and contribute to long term relationship regardless of the hiring result.

My goal at the end of the process is for each candidate to feel good about the interview experience with our company, even when they don’t land the job. That can be challenging. But treating all candidates with respect and empathy usually accomplishes this. That’s all most people really need to be satisfied.

Making sure what you say translates to real-world examples and linking the two both privately and publicly only re-enforces your values through all your actions. Don't stop. Be relentless here.

Oh I still feel bad about losing a potential hire due to missed follow up and follow through the candidate during the process, we should not do this, It's essential to prioritize timely communication during the hiring process to reduce time to hire and attract top talent. Consistency and promptness in keeping candidates informed can make a significant difference. Let's make sure we learn from our experiences and improve our processes moving forward!

One of the features of many ATS platforms is the ability to automate follow-ups. After an interview, instead of manually reaching out to each candidate, the system can be set to send personalized messages, keeping candidates in the loop. This not only saves time but ensures that no candidate is left wondering about their status. While automation offers efficiency, maintaining a human touch in communication is essential. Unforeseen circumstances, like a hiring manager falling ill, are beyond our control. However, it's important to keep candidates updated.

A-Players are never looking for work. But, what all A-players are doing is observing the marketplace and judging from afar, so when the time comes, they know, who would I want to work for. That's why you need to create a hiring brand that tells your story in relation to the specific audience/persona you're trying to attract. The problem with employer branding is that if done well it can help, but alone it doesn't provide enough context as it relates to a particular skillset. You need to create content in various forms that tells that story and scale that message via social, which attracts those A-players to you. You use the same content and create digital assets to use as talent attraction materials for better experience too..

Show, don’t tell. In the world of talent attraction, it's people over brands. Authenticity in your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is best conveyed through personal stories to show your promise to people (EVP) is true. Potential candidates are more likely to believe your story if they learn from stories of others that mirror their own aspirations. We all are looking for people where we can identify with. People connect with people ??

Employer Branding is in essence not about branding, it’s about delivering your promise to people. How you make people feel at moments that matters most to them is the story they will share with others. Research shows that nearly 60% of all candidates have had a poor candidate experience and 72% of does candidates share (???) their bad experience online or with someone directly. This will ultimately make or break your brand and impact your brand performance and talent acquisition efforts. What I learned in 20 years of TA and brand management: Your brand is where the candidate journey begins and talent attraction starts

Everyone is looking for value propositions that help them to grow. The priority of the propositions may change but a good employer must know the pulse of the talent market they are trying to tap. In my opinion, these are the critical selling points: Respectful environment for everyone Impact of the product & services offered by the organization and job profile Strength of the business model Professional and personal development Salary and Benefits Some folks are desperate for a job due to various reasons. Their circumstances are such that the presence or absence of the parameters mentioned above does not bother them. That's a sad situation. But candidates who are in a position of bargaining will look for the above-mentioned propositions

Be real, show what it is like through the eyes of the employees. Give them a voice in the most authentic way. No scripts, no corporate videos.