You Know What Happens When You Ass-u-me?

Don’t Take Your Hiring Process For Granted

By Steve Margalit, FPC National

There are few things in life that give you the outcome you’re looking for without directly investing your personal effort or guidance. The hiring process is no different. To generate successful results for your growing organization, precision planning and coordination are not optional, they are required.  There are several moving parts and timelines that need to be managed, including the busy schedules of your own staff as well as that of the highly sought-after talent you’re seeking.  Throw in the additional challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the logistics of keeping your candidates engaged and moving through the process can be cumbersome.  Beating your competition to the punch takes hands-on leadership, organization and sometimes even creativity to seal the deal.  As you review and take stock of your current hiring process, here are a few measures you should be sure to focus on.

Communicate

Communication within the hiring process starts long before candidates are even being interviewed.  From the very start, before the job description is even written, it’s important to get input and buy-in from the team members who will be closely associated with the role and involved in the hiring process.  Having everyone on the same page and delivering a consistent message gives the impression of a unified team and a company that has their act together to the job seeker.  Nothing derails a process more than mixed messages from the hiring team during the interview process.  Once candidates do start interviewing, engagement and feedback throughout each step of the process is critical.  Candidates are often pulled in many directions and have competing opportunities they’re considering.  Companies who don’t engage candidates properly are sure to turn them off.

Collaborate

Hiring is NOT an individual sport.  The most effective way to fill critical senior level roles within your company is to align yourself with an industry expert whose network is far-reaching.  With unemployment levels coming back down to pre-pandemic levels, many of the best candidates are currently employed elsewhere.  Partnering with an industry specialized Executive Recruiter who can leverage relationships and introduce your opportunity to passive candidates can be a game changer for the growth of your organization. To learn more about how collaborating with FPC can help your company grow, click here.

Close

You can’t just expect top talent to join your team because you believe you’re their best option.  In order to successfully close the candidates of your choice, it’s critical that you understand the marketplace.  This means both knowing your competition and knowing the available pool of talent for which you’re competing.   Whether your organization is large or small, has a name brand or not, you need to “sell” the opportunity holistically.  Start by understanding that every interaction with the job seeker is important.  From the very beginning, the candidate is forming an opinion about your company and whether he/she wants to work there.  Remember that interviewing is a two-way street – listen to the candidate, allow them to ask questions.  If your interview process has multiple rounds, leverage your executive recruiter’s relationship with the candidate to dictate the timing of subsequent interviews, and ultimately what it will take to seal the deal.  The strongest candidates WILL get hired quickly by someone; be prepared to act immediately and competitively if you want your offer to be considered.

Hiring is one of the most important functions any company must perform.  To execute at a high level, and land the talent of your choosing, you can’t leave it to chance or take anything for granted.  Develop a plan, utilize all resources at your disposal, have open lines of communication and be prepared to act quickly!  For more information or to find an FPC recruiter, click here.

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Steve Margalit

Steve Margalit