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Are you looking for your next career move? Contact us

Are you interested in finding your next employee? Contact us

In my last video I talked about our process, including the time that we spend comparing a candidate for an interview. Today I’d like to speak to the company side about the importance of positive candidate engagement by the hiring company during that interview.

In this competitive environment, it can be difficult to secure top candidates. It’s not enough to just have an appealing brand. The interview process needs to be a positive reflection of the company, its culture, and the value that it places on talent.

If we’ve done our job well for our client company, we’ve presented you with candidates that are qualified for the job and eager to speak with you based on the compelling reasons that we’ve provided. We’ve made that great introductory impression for you, explained the job, possible career pathing, and the factors that make your company stand out in the market.

Once that candidate is delivered to your doorstep there is a shared responsibility to ensure success. After all, the candidate is interviewing the company as well, and let’s remind ourselves that a good candidate has many choices in front of him or her.

We have seen a few reasons candidates don’t pursue opportunities, and most of them deal with two things: honest and timely communication.

Be professional. Show that interviewing this candidate is your top priority of the moment. If an interview is rescheduled three times, especially at the last minute, what does that say about the importance of the role or the candidate?

Discuss realistic expectations of the role. What is going to define success? Then, encourage the candidate to discuss his or her success in similar situations. Engage in a good two-way conversation with the candidate.

Find out what’s important to the candidate. Ideally, that’s happening in a pre-interview conversation with us during the presentation because we’ve already had that discussion, so you can hit those hot spots. It will be different for each candidate.

Ensure consistency in messaging. Are all hiring authorities on the same page regarding the job description and the job priorities? Mixed messages are a big turn off. This can easily be solved by discussing the position and agreeing on priorities.

Talk about your company – not just the job specs. Discuss why you love your company and why you are recommending this candidate to join your team. Oftentimes, you can forget to give reasons why it is a good position or company.

Provide interview feedback to us in a timely manner. As your recruiting partner, we make it our priority to connect with the candidate immediately after the interview for a debriefing. Call right away if it was a great interview. Candidates can be really engaged and motivated, so imagine how that engagement wanes when I can’t provide feedback for days or even a week.

Paying attention to these details will secure your top candidate. These details are important for all candidates as people can talk about your brand outside of the interview with others. Remember, every action that you take either adds to or detracts from your brand, so make sure that your actions during the interview process enhance your brand.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by phone or email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

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