Hire the Best Talent

You can find great talent by casting a wide net to find a large variety of candidates. With tools like social media, finding passionate, qualified people can be very easy! Make your workplace appealing and welcoming to attract good talent. Being prompt, respectful, and accommodating during the talent search will help to establish your reputation as a great employer!

Steps

Broadening Your Search

1. Write a detailed job posting with clear instructions for applying. Write a job advertisement that describes the position you are hiring for thoroughly, including the day-to-day tasks and responsibilities. Outline the skills, experience, and education required of candidates. Give clear instructions about where applicants should submit their CVs, and whether a cover letter and list of references is required.
2. Post the job ad on your website, then link to it on other websites. Once you have written a detailed job advertisement, post it on your company's website. You can then link to the complete job listing with shorter postings on job search sites like Monster.com or classified ad sites like Craigslist. This will allow you to spread the word quickly while still presenting a detailed ad.
3. Use social media to reach candidates who are not actively job hunting. Social media recruitment is a simple, cost-effective approach to advertise job postings in a widespread way. Postings on social media platforms can also reach candidates who are not actively pursuing a job hunt, such as employed individuals who might be tempted to make an upward move for the right job. Post your job listings on applications like LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook to get them noticed.
   • Have employees share the post on their own social media accounts to help spread the word.
4. Start a referral program for your current employees. Employee referrals are a faster, cheaper, and safer way of hiring new talent. Trust the talent you already have at your disposal to recommend a friend or associate who is equally competent, motivated, and well-suited to your company culture. Offer rewards like monetary bonuses or extra paid vacation for successful referrals.
   • For instance, an employee might get a $500 bonus for recommending a candidate that you end up hiring.
5. Interview as many candidates as possible. Widen the pool of candidates for a position to increase your odds of finding the best possible talent. Invest as much interview time as you can to see as many qualified individuals as your schedule will allow. For instance, you are more likely to find the best talent out of a group of 15 or 20 candidates than you are out of 5.
6. Don't exclude candidates for their lack of experience. Holding strict hiring criteria, such as "minimum 5 years experience," can cut down your market for new talent considerably. Consider qualities like drive, confidence, critical thinking, and perseverance as markers of great potential. A highly motivated but inexperienced candidate can be trained on the job to become a huge asset down the line.
   • For instance, a recent business school graduate with limited job experience can demonstrate their entrepreneurial spirit through their enthusiasm and commitment to furthering their career.

Interviewing Candidates Thoroughly

1. Screen applicants with a 20 minute questionnaire. Before starting the interview process, sort through applicants by sending each of them an email with 4 or 5 questions to answer. The questions should be relevant to the position you are hiring for and they should require the candidate to have a sufficient level of experience to answer. Schedule further interviews with candidates who have the initiative and skill to respond aptly.
   • For instance, if you are hiring an accountant, ask things like, "How would you handle filing an amended tax return right before the deadline?"
   • Though this is an extra time investment on your part, it will keep you from wasting interview time with the wrong candidates later on.
2. Hold 15 minute phone interviews to cover basic questions. Streamline the interview process by calling candidates to find out about their expectations and qualifications. Ask what salary they are looking for, why they are leaving their current job, and where they hope to be in 5-10 years. The answers revealed by these questions should be a bit more candid than those offered in the email screening, so a phone conversation is the best medium.
   • If candidates are not free to have a phone interview right away, schedule one for a mutually convenient time later on.
   • You can also ask candidates what their current salary is, but they are not obliged to disclose that information to you.
   • Phone interviews will help you gauge a candidate's self-assuredness, knowledge of what they want, and overall energy level.
3. Hold structured, in-person interviews. When you finally meet candidates for a position, interview them all the same way with a list of set questions. This will simplify the process and create an even playing field. You will also be able to compare the interviewees' answers to clearly assess the most thoughtful and impressive responses.
   • If different people are conducting interviews for the same job, give them all clear printouts of the structured interview and instruct them to follow the model exactly.
4. Include work peers in the interviewing process. It is wise to include co-workers in interviews to help question and assess the candidates. A colleague in a position that works more closely to the one you are hiring for may be able to ask questions that are pertinent to the actual, day-to-day job. It is also helpful to have other opinions and insights to help identify the best talent for your organization.
   • For instance, you may invite a co-worker in for the second part of an interview with a suitable candidate and get their feedback after the meeting.

Appealing to Candidates

1. Work on establishing a friendly team atmosphere. Good prospective employees will be attracted to a work environment that seems welcoming and inclusive. Create an amicable rapport amongst old and new employees by organizing team building exercises, group activities, and after-work social events. Advertise these experiences on your company's social media accounts to demonstrate to prospective employees how fun and engaging your workplace can be.
   • For instance, post pictures from a team-building softball game or bowling night on your company's Facebook page.
2. Market a competitive compensation package. In addition to salary, let job candidates know about your company's other valuable offerings. These could included flex time, the ability to work from home, paid time off, profit sharing, and other perks. These features could be very appealing to serious candidates looking for a healthy work-life balance.
   • Mention these perks at the end of a promising interview to help persuade a great candidate to accept a position.
3. Don't leave candidates hanging. It is smart and courteous to move as quickly as possible with the hiring process. Schedule follow-up interviews with outstanding candidates right away, or present an offer as soon as you decide that they are suitable for the job. Excellent candidates may receive and accept other offers if they go too long without hearing from you.
   • Responding quickly to candidates is a sign of respect that will help to build your reputation asa good employer.
   • Call, email, or mail letters to candidates who do not make the cut.

References

See also

• Interview a Nanny
• Interview a Client for an Engineering Project
• Conduct an Unbiased Interview
• Set Up a Meeting Space for Interviews
• Conduct a Detailed Interview
• Avoid Asking Bad Interview Questions
• Conduct a Group Interview
• Set Up a Phone Interview
• Conduct a Phone Interview
• Conduct an In Person Interview

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