Develop your recruitment process and get the right candidate saying ‘Yes’!

By establishing proper recruitment processes, you will be able to better evaluate and track the fit of the candidate and manage his or her experience with you, resulting in the candidate you want saying accepting your offer above any others! Remember it’s not just about finding the right candidate, it’s about EMPLOYING the right candidate.

Review your current process

Before any changes are made you need to find out what is working and what is not. Speak with new staff and ask them about their experiences:

What prompted them to accept the role
How did they feel during the recruitment process – 100% confident this was the company for them or did something occur to give them concerns?
What ‘almost’ made them reject the offer / pull out mid process
What had they experienced elsewhere during recruitment that they thought worked well?

The results of this will identify the key areas of your recruitment process that are working and some comparison with other companies from the perspective of the candidate. Using this knowledge you can work with your recruitment staff on maximising the potential of the recruitment process in finding and obtaining the right candidate.

Review the offer

How do you present job offers to candidates? To you bestow upon them the glory of working within your company or do you let them know just how important you think they will be to the success of the business? How you present the offer can be as influential as the recruitment process.

A good job offer will always:

Be presented verbally first. Never just send a letter or an email – it takes longer and is impersonal – you want the candidate to feel a connection to your company;
Be clear and concise. Candidates who are unsure of their benefits and responsibilities due to an overly elaborate offer may feel unsure that the role is what was originally presented;
Include all benefits discussed. Leaving out anything you have previously agreed upon can be viewed as deceptive or just poor organisation;
Let the candidate know how wanted they are and how they will make a significant contribution to the company. Flattery will get you far – make the candidate feel like a valued member of the team from day one will help set your offer apart from any other more clinical offers.

How to maximise recruitment conversion rates

1. Think outside the box

Don’t just ask questions to find out if the candidate is right for the role – ask questions to find out if you are right for the candidate. Really sell the company, the role and find out what is driving their employment decision process – you may find that point of difference between this role and the others the candidate is interviewing for.

2. Include non-financial benefits wherever possible (and appropriate)

We can’t all offer discounts and free product, but we can listen to what is important to our staff. Is it days off to perform charity work? An extra day annual leave? Regular social events? Flexible working hours or locations? Your candidate will be spending a lot of time with you, it’s important you show them why they would want to, above and beyond the role and their salary (after all – every company can offer a job and a wage!).

3. Progression

Most candidates aren’t just thinking about the current role. They’ll be thinking about what it can give them and where it can lead them. You need to show a clear progression path, with examples of current staff who have moved up through the company. Be careful not to promise anything, but be clear that success with you does not mean being pigeonholed into one role.

4. Quantify

Be clear about what the role is, what is expected of the candidate and what they can expect in return. Don’t be vague and use subjective terms such as ‘work/life balance’ and ‘opportunity to grow’. Give specific examples and show evidence. You’ve asked the candidate to quantify their claims – you must do the same.

5. Use their circle of influenceM

A candidate’s referees are often people who they hold in esteem and take their advice seriously. Don’t just do a standard reference check. Speak to their referees about why you feel the candidate is a good fit and reiterate how impressed you were. Make sure you sell the candidate in the role to the referee – they will report back to the candidate about your enthusiasm and could influence them to accept the role.

6. Act in a timely manner

Dragging out a recruitment process runs the risk of the candidate being offered another role or becoming disenchanted with your company. Be clear about when you will return to them with an answer and stick to that timeline. Allow the candidate ample (but not excessive) time to accept the role, but be clear by when you need to hear back.

7. Ask the tough questions

Ask the candidate if they have any objections / concerns regarding the role and the company – and make sure you already know what they are. Being skilled at how to solve these issues in the mind of a candidate will go far in influencing their decision to accept your offer later on.

8. Build your company brand

Your marketing team will be highly skilled at selling your business to potential clients – but what about potential staff members? Is your business on the list of ‘Top Places To Work’? Have you won awards for staff benefits, your offices or community service? You need to get the message out there so you become the workplace people are banging down the door to get into – and aren’t disappointed once they see inside.