All things being even, the person that knows your business or team environment the best is you so therefore you are the best person to carry out recruitment and identify the best candidates. In practice though, this is not practical and we all look for ways to either speed up the process or reduce the time required to commit to the process. The key to doing this successfully is understanding the areas of the recruitment process that can be handled externally without compromising the outcome.
The golden rules for success are as follows:
- It is a competitive environment for quality candidates and your business and role must be represented directly to the market by you whenever possible
- Replying to generic non-branded advertising is a turn-off for a good candidates
- Quality candidates want to know upfront the future business they could be representing, an overview of the role and salary package
- They do not want to waste time applying for roles which don’t meet their criteria, especially if they are currently employed and are only looking for a new opportunity with a more progressive organisation
- Generic approaches will not attract the best talent
We then move on to the interview phase; not only is the first interview important for the employer to gauge the first impression of the candidate, the candidate is also gaining their first impression of the company and their fit. Sonata’s philosophy is always to represent the business and their brand directly to market and if possible conduct all interviews and meetings on site. From the get-go, through-out the recruitment process, both the candidate and employer are operating in the working environment which allows the candidate to visualise the possible outcome. Right from the start they feel more part of the team and this reduces a number of employment barriers.
The final stages of employment are very time consuming but ever so important; while the final short-listing and reference checks are being undertaken the candidate must be kept engaged. Changing roles in these economic times brings new pressures and worries and the last few days of decision-making can seem like a lifetime for a prospective employee. Actively keeping in touch with the candidate through this period ensures all the effort does not become wasted by a candidate getting cold feet. Sonata works to a tight contact schedule during this period to allow the employee to walk in the door ready to give 110% and fully engaged from the outset.
Choosing the correct approach to recruitment for your business will ensure the selection of top quality candidates. You want your business represented in the best light upfront so if it is not possible to run the process yourself, it is important to work with a partner you can trust to represent your business with the same level of care and professionalism that you do.
^DB
