Building Your Dream Team
Navigating the hiring process can be a challenge, from awkward questions to prolonged silences, creating an unpleasant experience for both employers and candidates. Whether you're a seasoned hiring manager or embarking on your first recruitment journey, a well-thought-out plan is key to ensure you're bringing the best talent into your team. Crafting a seamless hiring process not only benefits you as the employer but also contributes to a positive experience for potential candidates. Let's dive into the essentials of building a successful hiring strategy!
I reached out to my friend Nick Malefyt, President of Master Search Solutions, who is an expert recruiter, for some insight on what candidates are looking for during the process.
“In the past, money and benefits were key drivers for candidates to learn about during (or just after) the interview process. Today, the focus is on learning more about the company culture, mission, and vision. In addition, job seekers expect transparency during the interview when learning more about work-life balance, flexibility, mobility, and training opportunities. Finally, job seekers want to see a seamless interview process when they are meeting multiple hiring managers. Nobody likes going back to meet 4-5 different people - 4-5 different times. An employer shows they value a job seekers time when interview schedules are well planned out and have a good flow.”
With that being said, what can you do as a business to make sure the process is seamless?
Before you begin your search you will need a thorough Job Description. If you’re hung up on a title, see what’s out there! Make sure to include a description of your company that captures the feel and your values, any benefits or special perks that make you stand out, and of course details on the role. Think about your requirements. Does this role require a college degree? If not, remove it from your description and you’ll be opening up your candidate pool!
Each state, and sometimes city or county, have specific guidelines on including salary ranges in your posting. I’m very pro this regardless of the requirement. It’s essentially a time saver when it comes to interviewing, as you will only be speaking to candidates who are in that range.
Now that you have your Job Description, it’s time to get it out there and Post! Outside recruiters such as Nick, are a great option as they have a built in network to reach out to, and for timely hires, this is the best way to go. If you’re going at it on your own, think about where candidates that do what you’re looking for are. LinkedIn is one of my favorite tools for job seekers but if the skill sets you’re looking for aren’t on LinkedIn, don’t waste your time posting there. Get creative! Are there trade organizations, alumni groups, instagram accounts you can connect with? Share to your network and get it in the hands of the right people.
The Interview Plan is a huge piece of this puzzle. You need to identify who will be involved in this process. If you’re a team of one hiring for the first time and you’re not working with a recruiter, I recommend having an HR Consultant, your Accountant, or anyone who works with you and your business to be involved. It’s extremely important to have at least 2 interviews, but you don’t want them to be repetitive.
Map out your list of questions in advance. You’ll want to test for both role specific skills and soft skills. I’m a personal fan of situational questions where you can hear how the candidate handled or would handle a specific situation.
It’s important to be consistent with the questions you are asking each candidate to avoid any discrimination. Speaking of discrimination, make sure you’re aware of what you are NOT allowed to ask during this process. Definitely avoid asking if a candidate is married, going to have babies, and how much they are making (I was asked all of these in one interview- major red flags!).
To end the interview, like Nick said, be transparent on your timeline, where you are in the process and what the interview process looks like from there. If you expect the candidate to be transparent, you must do the same. If your timeline is taking longer than expected, follow up with the candidate. If you know they weren’t right for the role, make sure to reach out as soon as you can and try to include feedback. Even if you aren’t hiring someone, you want the experience to be as positive as possible.
Hiring can be daunting but luckily there are tons of resources available to help. Not only are recruiters a great option, but I also offer an Interview Support Package to walk leaders through the process from job description creation, providing first round interviews, through creating the offer. Interested in learning more? Schedule a free Discovery Call! Happy Hiring!
