How not to lose out on the best talent – Be flexible and fast!

26 Jun 2019

Losing out on the best talent can be hugely frustrating. But it can be even more damaging than that.

 

It is a candidate’s market and if you don’t treat your recruitment process in the same way you would your customer experience, you won’t just lose out on the best talent, the perception of your brand could be damaged.

 

If you think about your recruitment process in the same way you would your customer journey, you should strive for candidates to walk away from the experience with a positive view of your business, whether they were successful or not.

 

So what can you do to ensure you not only attract the best talent but leave candidates with a great experience?

 

The watchwords are flexibility and speed.

 

PLAN

 

Ensure you have time blocked out of the relevant people’s diary for interviews and be aware that candidates might want to work around their existing day job. So be prepared to offer early morning or after work slots.

 

KEEP IT SHORT

 

Try not to elongate the process unnecessarily. Think carefully about how many stages you need to get what you want from the candidates.

 

This is even more relevant for freelance and short term contracts – those candidates will often be able to accept work almost immediately, so don’t treat a freelance position as you would a permanent one.

 

SCREEN FIRST

 

How many people do you need involved? If you require a panel to interview and want a task to be completed, consider an earlier stage like a phone or video interview where one or two people can screen candidates initially.

 

BE FLEXIBLE

 

If you really like a candidate, be prepared to fight for them and be flexible. If someone can only interview at short notice or doesn’t have time to complete a task but you really like – then bend the rules! Do whatever you can to ensure you get the people you want as opposed to being a slave to process.

 

COMMUNICATE

 

If the process is taking longer than expected, communicate clearly to the candidate. If they feel they are in the dark, then they are more likely to be tempted elsewhere or start their search again.

 

BRING THE ROLE TO LIFE

 

Candidates are assessing you as an employer as much as you are assessing whether they are the right fit for the role. To attract the best talent, you should bring your business and the role to life. What makes your business different? Why should they love working for you? Try and put the benefits and information on your culture across at every stage, from the job description to the interview.

 

Ultimately, if you want to attract the best candidates then you need to treat your recruitment process the same as you would any other interaction with your brand. Here at Stopgap, we can support you in your recruitment of the best talent in a variety of ways, from managing the process in full to offering consultation and candidate screening. Brief us today on your recruitment challenges.