In a tight job market, hiring the right employees is even more difficult than in past years. Candidates are seemingly looking for significant raises, getting multiple job offers, and looking to move forward at a rate that may be faster than you planned. On top of having fewer and fewer candidates to choose from, companies have been working hard to streamline the process to grab the right candidate before their competitors.
Here are some examples to identify and hire top talent in today’s market without losing them to the competition:
- Develop a process
Having a streamlined process during your interview schedule will help tighten the amount of time from first interview to hire and therefore potentially outperform other companies that still have a slow and cumbersome hiring process. Make sure approval to hire is secured and try to minimize the interview process. More than two meetings over a two or three week period, can be difficult for some candidates who may already have offers on the table after their first interview with another company. They are faced with the challenge of pursuing additional interviews with your company and potentially losing out on a good job offer from someone else. Ensure you have valuable key decision makers in on the second meeting so their point-of-view can be discussed right away and a decision can be made faster.
- Consider skills assessments
Limiting meetings to two can create some anxiety in managers concerned over whether or not they are making the right decision. Encouraging candidates to take skills assessments can give you insight into how they react or work in certain circumstances. The best part is these tests can be taken at home and between interviews thereby not adding additional time into the interview process.
- Talk about your company
The candidate should definitely do research on your company, but be prepared to present positive keynotes on the benefits of working for this company. If a candidate has multiple job offers, you will need to do your best to get your company to stand out in the end.
- Create a hiring date
Creating a hiring date will let the candidate know when they should expect responses from you and how soon you are looking for them to start. This will also keep you on track and prepare for them accordingly. Candidates will also be relieved to know when they should give their notice to current employers and their expectations of your hiring process.
- Develop an offer
Before you decide to move forward with a candidate, consider what you would be willing to offer them. Create a salary range from low to high, so you have negotiating room, if needed. A great way to get a candidate to move forward is also to incentivize them with a signing bonus or perks, in addition to traditional benefits.
Before you are looking to hire, do your homework and make sure you are ready to move forward quickly, if you find the right candidate. Knowing how to move forward quickly and overcoming the obstacles before they increase the time spent on the hiring process can ensure you have a better chance of having the right candidate say, “Yes!”