Nothing will take your business to the next level like hiring the right talent. They bring a skill set you need and want that you don’t currently have. Honestly, you know your company wouldn’t be where it is today without your excellent team. But, building and retaining that great team is more difficult than it looks. How do you hire the best talent for your business?
Treat each recruit like a customer:
Even though they work for you a great hire is your best profit machine. You want them to want to work for you and not the competition. Like great customers, great candidates are looking for a business where they are treated with respect and their contributions are valued. Don’t damage your reputation and shrink your hiring pool by alienating prospective candidates.
Craft an advertisement that makes candidates want to work for you:
People don’t want to be a cog in the wheel at work. They want to know that their work has a purpose within the organization. So, you want to have an advertisement that speaks to that need and makes the top people want to apply. Instead of focusing on every requirement that would be necessary for the job James recommends a different approach. Most employers state the technical requirements necessary for a candidate. For example, years of experience, technical skills, and typical corporate jargon like ‘works well in a team environment’. Many sound more like they are trying to recruit robots instead of people. Try talking about how the candidate will contribute to the big picture needs of the organization. Talk about how the work the candidate will be doing will have an impact. A quality ‘pitch’ will attract them to your business and not your competition’s.
It’s about quality not quantity:
It’s a good idea to cast a wide net when it comes to your advertising. But, when you are choosing candidates for interviews it’s quality of quantity. Entrepreneur suggests creating a ‘success profile’ in your advertisements. Success profiles are what the ideal prospect looks like. Things like the years of experience in their field and the positions held are examples of what to put in the profile.
Re-evaluate the applicant tracking system:
The applicant tracking system is a blessing and a curse when it comes to hiring. Since it looks for specific keywords in the applications it automatically vets submissions that are deemed ‘not a good fit’. When you receive hundreds of applications a day that can be a huge time saver. However, it can also unintendedly vet out quality candidates. It helps but make sure you are using it well and not losing valuable prospects in the process.
Have a phone screening system in place:
Interviews are time-consuming. Brief phone screenings effectively vet out applicants that don’t qualify. These take up far less time than an in-person interview and are more effective than strictly using the applicant tracking system to filter out applications.
Encourage employee referrals:
If you have a high performing employee on your hands they are the key to growing your top-notch team. Referrals continue to be the quickest way to hire new talent. It’s easier to confidently hire someone who comes highly recommended by an employee. It takes out some of the risks that come from bringing on a new team member.
Use a staffing company:
Staffing companies have several candidates in their repertoire that will likely fit in your company. Hiring a team is a time commitment. Staffing companies take on that responsibility and the guesswork out of the hiring process. This allows you to get back to doing what you excel at in your business. They also provide the option of hiring temporary employees too. This helps decrease much of risk involved in the hiring process.
Hiring quality talent is one of the top ways to grow your business. You can’t do it all and grow at the same time. A great team has their own sets of individual strengths that make your firm competitive. At boutique recruiting our goal is to help your company grow and develop. We match top-notch talent with quality positions to create a mutually beneficial working relationship. Contact us today to learn more.
