How to Attract Impact Players to Your Company
By Sarah Fare, Certified Senior Account Manager of MRI of Cedar Rapids, a franchise of Management Recruiters International, an executive search firm.
Based upon feedback, we have formulated the Top Five ways companies can increase their success in attracting impact candidates:
1. Write Two-Sided Job Descriptions
Whether we like it or not the interview process is a selling opportunity for your company. Candidates are bored by basic job descriptions that outline duties and responsibilities and they prefer descriptions of projects, measurements, learning opportunities or goals. What is your vision for growth? How will the candidate help your organization achieve its goals or overcome current challenges? Paint the picture with a two sided job description that includes both your needs and their benefits.
2. Plan Your Message
One of the most concerning experiences we hear about from candidates surrounds their confusion due to inconsistent messages from multiple interviewers within the same company. Whether an individual hears differing information about the job responsibilities or the culture it creates an insecurity that can be difficult to overcome. Unfortunately candidates seldom bring the inconsistency out into the open giving organizations the opportunity to clarify the confusion. To ensure you and your team are “speaking the same language” have pre-interview meetings to discuss how standard questions will be answered to ensure everyone will describe the position similarly.
3. Create a Timeline and Stick to It
There is nothing more frustrating for a candidate than wondering when they will hear from you and what the next steps are in the hiring process. Once you initiate communication with a perspective employee, they are enthusiastically focusing energy to win the position with your company. By setting up-front expectations about the interviewing process, decision makers, estimated time frame and number of applicants under consideration you will avoid overzealous candidate calls and ensure clear expectations. When candidates are comparing you to other organizations this is a major differentiator!
4. Move as Quickly as Possible
Every organization structures their hiring process to meet their specific goals. The longer the interview process, the more likely applicants will be comparing your position to others. As the hiring process becomes elongated, a candidate’s enthusiasm can wane which breeds doubt. As the marketplace turns towards a candidate shortage it’s imperative that companies evaluate the process to compete for candidates. If possible consolidate interviewing steps through panel/group interviews or ask applicants to complete a sample task or project in between steps. Candidates will test your responsiveness to them and draw conclusions about general business practices within your company. Responding in a timely fashion to emails and calls from impact players sends a clear message about how your culture operates.
5. Give Creative Offers
The age old art of negotiating has changed. Individuals no longer want to haggle or “play the game” during salary negotiations. Candidates are now looking at the entire package; hours, healthcare, vacation, cellular phone, tuition reimbursement, association memberships, laptop, discounts, and 401K in addition to salary and incentive pay. Be creative as you formulate offers and make sure to include a comprehensive list of the perks you provide.
June 2008
