Speed is king in recruitment

I posted this article back in February 2019 – funny how cyclical recruitment is…

This was posted on LinkedIn by a recruiter….

ME:?I’m sorry. The candidate just accepted an offer from another firm.

CLIENT:?What?! You told us she loved us, that she wanted to work for us.

ME:?She did.

CLIENT:?We’re #1 in our space, you said she liked that.

ME:?She did.

CLIENT:?You said she liked the team, that she thought she would fit in here.

ME:?She did.

CLIENT:?I don’t understand, we were thinking about making her an offer.

ME:?Well while you were ‘thinking’ your competition were ‘acting’.

Regrettably we are seeing this as a daily occurrence simply because clients are not moving fast enough to secure talent.?And after having invested a lot of time and effort in the recruitment process, they are needing to go back to square one.?????

A recent report identified that top candidates were securing positions within 10 days of entering the market.?Therefore, if your recruitment process is clunky and time consuming, don’t be surprised when you get the call to say “sorry, they/I really liked you, but they/I have secured another role”.?

Talent is in high demand and deciding on where you are going to spend and invest the majority of your time and energy is an emotive decision that is driven by both the head and heart.?To attract the best candidates, you need to ensure you are making them feel special because if you’re not then another company is.?????

Therefore, it is essential that companies look carefully at their recruitment processes to ensure they are slick and leave the candidate with a positive experience.?Some things to consider include:

Move quick when you identify a suitable candidate to secure a face-to-face meeting or arrange a telephone/Skype/Video/Face Time call.?Speed is king.

Make the candidate feel welcome at interview and ensure you are promoting your business and selling the vision and career prospects.?Excite them.

Ensure that a good cross section of staff are included in the interview process.?People buy people.

Ask probing and challenging questions that makes the candidate feel like they have been thoroughly interviewed.?Show them you only recruit the best.??

Provide and obtain feedback within 36 hours and address any issues early. Be in control.

If there is a second interview arrange this as soon as possible.?Keep the momentum going.

When you have found what you are looking for then don’t procrastinate and put together a compelling offer. Make them feel special.