My wife is recruiting like crazy at the moment and I feel her pain… she works for a large corporate and the red tape around the recruitment process is a total nightmare. Of course it has to be done fairly and correctly, but it got me thinking that there must be a better way.
We’ve compiled a top 5 thoughts on how to recruit smarter. If you would like to add to the list – feel free below.
1) Is it time to ditch interviews?
How much can you really tell about someone in an hour’s interview? What if they interview badly and are plain nervous? What if they turn up 10 mins late because of a traffic jam, but interview really well? You then face a big dilemma.
As ever the marvellous Seth Goddin has some thoughts on this subject. I wholeheartedly agree with his approach, because I’ve done it!
2) Look online – but not the way you think
There are a number of fascinating stories around how people have been proactive online to secure their next dream role – so why not take advantage of the creativity which is out there and go search them out. Assuming you are looking for a dynamic, innovative, creative think outside of the box type of person, reach for the Google button. BUT whatever you do – don’t go near a jobsite. Instead use some of the keywords you associate with the job and see who crops up.
One of the fascinating stories we’ve found is Steve Chazin. He was made redundant from Apple, having spent nearly 10 years there. Instead of following the traditional path, Steve started a blog and wrote the e-book, Marketing Apple. He now does his dream consulting job, all because people found him as opposed to him finding them.
3) Generation Y – know your audience
Recruiting is a two way process – your candidate needs to actually like the look of your business and want to work there. Think about that as they sit across the table from you (assuming 1 doesn’t apply). Generation Y expects a lot. They want to know that your business is forward thinking. They want to know there’s opportunity. Most importantly they need to know they are going to like YOU. So sell yourself during the interview process. It’s like buying a house – ask yourself how gutted you would be if you lost that person to the competition.
The excellent folks at Tomorrow Today talk about this a lot. Here they talk about the war for talent.
4) Think about the cost of recruitment
Not something you necessarily think about, however if Microsoft can reduce their recruitment costs – you can too.
5) References
Be very sceptical of anyone who can’t provide a reference with a phone number. Where policy allows, ALWAYS call a reference before any offer of employment is made. It’s amazing the number of people who a) don’t bother and b) rely on written references. In 1 minute we’ve just found a dozen sites offering fake references, which we’re certainly not going to link to here!
Have a list of questions in advance and CALL at least one person. Doing that will be far more enlightening than requesting three written ones.
BONUS POINT
If you come across someone during the recruitment phase who clearly needs advice on how to come across at interview. Be a good citizen and point them at this Selling Yourself resource.
Happy recruiting.
Related articles
- Recruitment Process Outsourcing Industry Poised to Double in Post-Recession Recovery Market (prweb.com)
- Probably the best graduate scheme in the world… (blogs.freshminds.co.uk)
- Survey: More Employers Use Facebook To Vet New Hires Than LinkedIn (paidcontent.org)
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