By Jay Henderson, RealTalentHiring.com
Are you struggling to find the right team members? Does it feel like you’ve invested in an automated hiring process that is simply not putting out the results you want? Luckily, there are a few tips and tricks to fix this problem to solidify your hiring process.
First and foremost, knowing what mistakes you could potentially be making is a great place to begin. These top 3 Hiring Mistakes could be what is hindering your progress:
– Hiring Too Quickly: Human nature abhors a vacuum, and so do employers eager to fill a vacancy. Hiring in desperation often leads to settling for less than the best. Oftentimes, companies are so motivated to fill a position they hire the first reasonable person who walks through the door. Or in other cases a “gut feeling” seems reason enough to hire, however appearances are deceiving. This will lead to disappointment in your hiring results. Both techniques and processes will not provide reliable results.
– Hiring Based on Impeccable References & Résumé: As many as there are applicants that can provide a perfect track record there is an equal if not greater amount that lack the intelligence to provide you with references that will assure them a glowing critique. As for the résumé, ultimately, it’s simply a piece of paper, one that could have been bought or, in many cases, falsified to represent the applicant in an optimal light.
– Hiring because The Applicant Aced the Interview: Having attended seminars or classes on effective interviewing, many job seekers today are prepared or even “groomed” for the interview process. There is certainly an abundance of books on the subject. And some people, namely sociopaths, because of their charismatic personality and manipulative manner, may be shoo-ins for almost any job they interview for.
Jay Henderson Real Talent Development 919.518.2793 To hire real talent, you need to always be on the lookout for great candidates. You want to have a high-quality, diverse candidate pool to
choose from. This includes reaching passive candidates – those who aren’t really looking for a job because they already have employment, but might be willing to make a switch for a new opportunity if they learn about it.
Try these tips to reach passive candidates:
1) Network! Advertising isn’t the only way to communicate about open jobs. Talk to great people already working in similar jobs and ask them how they found their jobs. Find out if there are professional groups or associations for the job you’re filling — are there online bulletin boards or e-groups? Get creative.
2) Advertise your business, not just your jobs. Always promote your business to potential candidates, so when you have job openings great candidates will be interested. Think of recruiting as an all-the-time activity instead of starting the recruitment process when the job opens.
3) Advertise beyond the job boards and craigslist. When it is time to publicize a specific opening, job boards and free online classifieds are
efficient and economical, but they’re only going to reach job hunters. Look for Web sites and other outlets that have a draw for professionals who aren’t on the hunt (like LinkedIn).
4) Put your job announcements to work. You are marketing to find great people! Passive candidates won’t dig your posting out of a
database – take advantage of tools like Google AdSense, banner advertising and e-mail advertising to get messages in front of them even when they’re not searching.
5) Write your job postings with passive candidates in mind. Don’t start with responsibilities and qualifications (which are about what you need); instead, highlight the reasons a great hire would really love your organization/company or job. By the way, when you have a candidate
Jay Henderson Real Talent Development 919.518.2793 you like, NEVER ‘sell’ them into the position. But DO market to or ‘sell’ them in order to find great candidates.
6) Make sure your own website sells your jobs. What’s the most important website in your recruiting strategy? Your own! This is one of my favorite strategies on this topic. The page candidates hit when they click from your postings or your home page to learn about jobs should create an immediate, positive impression of what it’s like to work at your business. Include a section titled “Top 5 reasons people love working at X, Y, Z Podiatry” and list why your employees love it there. Do you already have an employment page on your site? Is it designed for desperate job hunters or terrific hires? Does it reinforce your business’s brand or communicate all the wrong messages? Remember, employment recruiting should be seen as an important strategic investment, not an administrative chore. Use these tips to create a jobs page website into one that sells your jobs to the best possible hires.
7) Treat ALL candidates politely. Acknowledge applications, respond to inquiries, and let folks know the status of the search and their application. The person who’s not quite right for the job you have open today, could be a perfect fit for the one that opens tomorrow.
8) Accept applications and resumes even when you’re not hiring. You never know when you might have an opening- life is just too unpredictable. Save those resumes so you can be one step closer to finding your superstar. Apply these strategies along with the Real Talent Hiring Risk Analysis and you’ll quickly have an entire staff of superstars. Happy hunting!
Jay Henderson is the founder of Real Talent Hiring, a hiring and management development service for Law Firms who want to know exactly who to hire – or not, and why.
Prior, Jay worked with Stephen R. Covey author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People helping clients with all of Stephen’s programs. Jay lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife and four daughters.
