By Catherine Lang-Cline
Talent is always a challenge to find and sometimes you find “the one” only to end up getting “ghosted” or ignored. What happened? There are a lot of explanations, such as; they changed their mind about looking or they got a better offer. More often, another company moved quicker or you simply pissed them off in the interview process. Here are a few ways that you can claim that person it took you so long to find.
-
Include the salary range in the posting. Having candidates apply and wait, only to find out that the salary does not meet their requirements can be frustrating for candidates. Imagine getting through 3 or more interviews with your team only to find out that the salary requirements are $30K below what they were looking for. Or you love the person and find out that you can’t afford them? Be clear on this as soon as possible. It will save you time and the candidates time. Not to mention, some people will not even apply without knowing the range. BONUS TIP: In your job description, stop using words like ninja, guru, rockstar, not only is it confusing but it may stop people from applying.
-
Make it easy for them to apply. Technology is our friend until it is not. If the perfect candidate is struggling to get their resume uploaded or seen by you, you have lost them. Make sure instructions are very clear and if you need a copy of their resume that is readable by your system, let them know how this is done. With so many people looking, if three of the four jobs that they applied to are easy to submit to, that fourth company has lost out on the opportunity to speak to this person.
-
Let the candidates know the interview process upfront. If you typically have 5 stages and two tests, let them know. Otherwise, they will get frustrated with your process. We know that you want to hire slowly, but if a top-tier person is shopping for their next role and they are kept in the dark as to why there are more and more interviews, several tests, and they have invested hours into this process without even knowing if you are interested in them, they will move on to a company with better communication and appreciation for their time. It is that simple.
-
Ask them what is important to them. In a COVID-19 world, everything has changed. Do they want to work remotely, work in the office, or some hybrid form of the two? Include that in your job description or get it covered in the first conversation. Again, it only leads to heartbreak if you fall in love with a candidate and this expectation is not sorted out. Find out about their needs for benefits, gym memberships, mental and physical health needs, maybe it is a stipend for some or all of this?
-
If remote work is allowed, be clear on what you are providing. (There are many concerns about people working on their own equipment.) Be clear if you are providing equipment and what the rules are regarding it. The pros and cons of this can be its own blog post but just let it be said, having them use your equipment is preferred.
-
Contact all of the candidates if you have filled the job. Many people hate to deliver the bad news and simply avoid doing it. But leaving candidates hanging like this causes more damage than you know. Mainly, if you post another job, they won’t apply because you have ignored them in this process. They will also tell everyone that they know that this is how you treat candidates. Just call.
Now you are ready to post that job and start interviewing. If you find that you still need help communicating with candidates through this process we would be more than happy to help you with your search. Contact us at Portfolio Creative and we can get you through those challenging parts. We recruit, you hire, problem solved.
