Have you felt the disappointment of losing your top choice candidate to another company?
· What were the consequences for your business and for you personally?
· Starting the search over again so time dragged on without the support you needed?
· Additional burden for you and your team? Failure to produce deliverables on time because you didn’t have all of the right people to produce results?
· Lost confidence from your peers or management team?
Don’t lose another top candidate! Here are our top three tips to help you next time you have a top candidate in your grasp so you can make the hire.
1. Know your competition
If you don’t know the strategies and tactics that your competitors are using to attract candidates, you can’t position yourself as the best alternative. By understanding your competition, you can showcase the aspects of your company that outperform your competitors and entice valuable candidates to work at your company. Doing a competitive analysis will also provide the insight you need to identify your company’s strengths and pinpoint its weaknesses, so you can improve them and, consequently, strengthen your recruiting efforts.
2. Understand that candidates work to live rather than live to work
When hiring managers to draft a job description or create an advertisement for their open position, they mainly focus on the “Job Responsibilities” portion and often pay little to no attention to providing additional details. Candidates can perform job duties at any company, so it should be your goal to entice candidates with why they should want to do the work for your company. Make sure your advertisements highlight your employee benefits package and other incentives including opportunities for professional development and work-life balance that are important factors candidates consider when deciding to accept a job offer.
3. Be aware of your online presence
In today’s job market, candidates heavily rely on the internet to research their potential employers. Nine out of 10 times, your company’s website is the first impression you make on a potential candidate. Therefore, it’s important to develop a website that creates an excellent user experience and clearly articulates your value proposition. Additionally, knowing the negative online exposure that your company has on websites including Indeed and Glassdoor will give you the opportunity to understand your company’s weaknesses. If you notice consistent critical feedback, use that insight to improve that particular aspect of your company. That way, if a candidate brings up negative press in an interview, you can demonstrate that your company is self-aware and explain the steps it’s taking to better the situation.
For personalized guidance in how to present your hiring opportunities with the greatest competitive advantage, email Melissa Glenny at mglenny@franklinprofessionals.com for a complimentary consultation.
