How to Hire More Effectively

Studies show that top talent can be up to eight times more productive. No wonder most companies have this one thing in common: they are looking for the best talent that money can buy, and it’s difficult to find!

Source

However, attracting and retaining top candidates boils down to much more than money. Read on for the most essential factors that contribute to finding quality candidates and hiring more effectively.

1.Work proactively with your talent management

Hiring the right candidate is a process that should start long before announcing a vacant job post. Companies shouldn’t only be focusing on people that match the required skills and experience. Competence is of course crucial, but finding talent that have the right background and is aligned with the company culture and core values is a recipe for success.

But how to appeal to those that are an ideal culture fit? 

Employer branding is one of the most important components of attracting the right kind of talent. By consistently communicating a clear brand message throughout channels and touch-points, potential candidates get a clear understanding of what it could be like to work in your organization. Talking the talk, however, is not enough. Fostering a top-tier culture means investing in the experience of existing employees and stakeholders. By nurturing your organization and making it a platform for people to thrive and develop in will effectively attract likeminded candidates.

2. Put your talent - and candidates – first

Once you have an employer branding strategy in place and are attracting the right kind of talent, implementing a candidate-centric recruitment model can make your recruitment process far more efficient and cost-effective both now and in the long run. 

Instead of using more traditional employer-centric recruiting, where employers mainly focus on their own needs, candidate-centric recruiting puts the candidate’s needs first. The goal is to build long-term relationships with candidates, and not only hiring the best candidates for current openings. 

Research shows that the way you treat candidates matters, whether you hire them or not. 

• 63% of job seekers will likely reject a job offer because of a bad candidate experience 
• 72% of job seekers that had a bad experience told others about it
• 64% of job seekers say that a poor candidate experience would make them less-likely to purchase from that company

Source

It’s not only your talent pool on the line, but your brand reputation. Candidates are the same as your customers, and should be treated with the same level of care and planning.

 Airbnb mapped out the ideal candidate experience from start to finish.

Source

Companies like Google, Microsoft and Airbnb and Amazon were among the first to implement a candidate-centric recruiting approach. They realized early on that if they want to attract and hire top talent, especially in-demand top talent, they need to completely change their hiring practices and improve the experience for job candidates.

“Our goal,” recalls Jill, Head of Recruiting at Airbnb “was to have candidates walk away saying, ‘Wow - those Airbnb people are so smart and coordinated - I’m even more excited about the chance to work with them.”

Source

3. Avoid interview pitfalls

Many organizations still use formal job interview processes that include a long list of difficult questions for the candidate. In the end, the candidate might get to ask a few questions of their own. This might be a good way for the company to cover their own needs, but it isn’t much of a two-way street, potentially leaving the candidate feeling unimportant and misinterpreted. 

The interview process should be informative for both parties. It shouldn’t be unnecessarily complex or difficult, but rather a conversation where candidates can feel open and comfortable asking questions along the way. As the interviewer, you should have guiding points and questions to make sure you cover all relevant areas, but also remain flexible. Listen to what is said and not said, observe body language, and allow the communication to flow both ways.

If possible, take the candidate out of the interview room for a meal or a tour of the office. This is an excellent way to find out more about the candidate’s true nature. Pay attention if they look people in the eye. Are they curious and asking appropriate questions? Do they treat everyone they meet with respect, and show interest in what they do? Can they keep an engaging conversation going? You’ll have a much better sense of your candidate - and they of you and the company - if you get them out of a closed room.

4. Uncover the candidate’s competence

In the end of the day, companies want people that bring results. Competence and experience certainly aren’t the only things to look for in a good candidate, but it is often what contributes significantly to the company bottom line. Does the potential employee have the necessary skills and experience to successfully complete the tasks you need performed?

To uncover honest answers about competence that aren’t modestly presented or exaggerated isn’t easy, but asking situational interview questions can be useful. These questions help you gain insight into how a candidate would react in specific circumstances and help the company meet its objectives. It’s a great way of better understanding the candidate’s thought process, and assess their problem-solving, self-management and communication skills.

5. Deliver on promises

Employees want to work for companies that treat people well. It starts with an interview process where candidates are respected and informed at every step. It goes on to having fair policies and benefits that reflect the caliber of employees you want to attract. It’s as simple as that, and there are no shortcuts. 

Whether we realize it or not, the recruitment process plays an extremely important role in maintaining the company’s brand integrity. Setting realistic expectations and keeping promises throughout communications is key, whether it’s about listing details in the job ad, or discussing a benefit package during an interview. Make sure you deliver and do what you say you do. 

The most important step of all...

Even after doing all of the above to set yourself up for success, you'll still need one key thing before you can really attract the top talent: understanding the market and the talent trends for that market.

Anyone can write a job description for a manager, even a CEO, but to attract right candidate, you'll need to understand what the current market trends are;

• what challenges are companies facing?
• where does the opportunity lay for growth?
• how are your competitors performing?
• what do the top talent in the market have in common?
• what are the salary levels?
• what special benefits or packages are common practice?

By answering these questions, you'll be able to write a targeted job description and know the specific candidate profile you're looking for. Then you're on your way to GROWing your business!

What are your biggest challenges when hiring? Drop a comment below!