So, you’re hiring…and of course, you want the absolute best person for the role and your business – but what gets in the way of that?
Here’s our top three tips on how to avoid losing out on top talent and ending up disappointed that you didn’t get the superstar you wanted!
1) Timelines agreed at the start of the process
Whether you’re using an agency or running a recruitment process yourselves internally, it’s important that at the start of that process you outline: -
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What will the process consist of? (How many stages and if they’ll be virtual or in-person)
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Who needs to be involved in each of the stages and anything additional you’ll be asking the candidates to do, for example a presentation or assessment.
Once that’s in place, you plan and book time in the relevant people’s diaries based on their availability, so before you begin advertising you have a fixed timeline on the process completion point.
Handy hint: As well as factoring in interview slots, put time in diaries for feedback sessions after each stage and then a slot for decision feedback.
The only reason timelines should change is if the advert hasn’t generated the quality of candidates you were hoping for– in which case, you adjust schedules accordingly and hold out until you have the right shortlist to progress with.
Over the summer was a great example of this, where the relevant interviewers were on annual leave and some processes dragged on 1-2 weeks longer than necessary, which in one particular case meant the whole process needed to restart as they lost the candidates to other roles during that time.
2) Processes taking too long
If you’ve taken too long to review CV’s, book interviews or just haven’t been on point with communication, you will lose great candidates along the way.
Candidates that are in demand will have the pick of opportunities so where relevant point 1 becomes changeable if you’ve got a star candidate and you need to move things around to keep them in the process. Equally, without having a good relationship with potential candidates, they will not have brought into you or the business, which ultimately in most cases mean – they’ll withdraw from the process with no reason, and you’ve missed out ☹
Employer brand and candidate experience is important as well as being “in the know” about other processes candidates are in and the timelines.
3) Under offering or lack of offer presentation
So, you found “the one” and you need them in your team/business – the first offer is EVERYTHING and must be on point – under offering will kill all enthusiasm and is a massive reflector of how you value them. Equally the salary should be included in your advert and questions around current package asked prior to progressing, to not waste time.
Offer presentation is key – pick up on the person’s motivators throughout the interview and build these into the offer and benefits package. This should be delivered verbally and with other important points built in, such as:
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Training and development
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Progression path
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Flexible working detail
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Hybrid working detail
We hope these help – with all of these points, if you partner with us, you can expect all of this and more, covered comprehensively! Do get in touch if you have any questions or would like to discuss your recruitment needs.
