8 things hiring managers can do to find better candidates
Today’s job market can be very challenging for hiring managers due to the wide range of talent that is out there to choose from. Candidates range from excellent to poor and making the distinction and therefore, finding the best fit for your company, can be tedious. The good thing is that excellent candidates are searching for great places to work. These candidates will demonstrate a number of beneficial characteristics that are easy to miss to the untrained eye. To attract the best candidates here’s what you need to be doing during the hiring process:
1. Set realistic expectations
It’s one thing to request excellent grades, leadership qualities and workplace experience from your candidates, but when a job listing for a tech outfit requires fluency in say five different languages; that’s just a case of setting the bar too high. Be realistic in your requirements and think through what you are willing to trade-off for the ideal candidate.
2. Create the best possible first impression
And by that, we mean arriving on time, focusing on the interview when it starts instead of checking emails, texts, and focus on treating the candidate with respect. Like we said, great candidates want to work for great companies, and one of the first ways candidates get to assess a company is through its hiring process.
3. Be specific with what you’re looking for
Nothing screams ‘we’re a company without an objective’ more than a series of ambiguous questions that do nothing but unsettle a job applicant. Have a clear definition of what you’re looking for in the perfect candidate and structure your interview sessions to help you find someone that fits that definition as closely as possible.
4. Refrain from asking unrelated questions
Sure, the occasional light non-interview related question might function as an icebreaker, but there’s a thin line between being friendly and going completely overboard. As a rule of thumb stick to questions that relate to the job itself.
5. Study the resume before you quiz the candidate
Except in cases where you didn’t request a resume (which would be odd), the first part of the interview session should be a thorough review of the candidate’s resume. This allows you to get in tune with the candidate so you can ask better questions and assess them more holistically.
6. Never be the impolite interviewer
Candidates are human like yourself and acting cold or seemingly unconcerned is more likely to put them off than it is to bring out any other positives. It’s always good practice to come off as conversational to your candidates: lend a listening ear, and you’re more likely to discover a hidden talent (or deal breaker).
7. Widen your candidate pool
You can’t catch a shark while fishing in a pond; it’s as simple as that. With recruitment, posting a job and waiting for responses may not yield you the best of the best but the best of the looking. You’re better off expanding your search to university career fairs, industry associations, professional social media channels such as LinkedIn and your internal employee referral network.
8. Pay attention to references
References provide an avenue to gain valuable insight into a candidate’s past professional life. Spare no measure of due diligence in contacting selected references. There’s no better way of gauging a potential employee than hearing from a past employer or educational supervisor.
At ITS Global we’ve spent countless amounts of time identifying, qualifying and interviewing candidates to find the best fit for organizations. Our HireRight process is unique and ensures a better hire.
If you have a question regarding talent acquisition or are tired of fumbling through interviews, get in touch. Let’s talk through your goals and establish a partnership so you can focus on the areas of your business that you’re really great it.