The Power of Storytelling and Its Connection to Disability Insurance
With a candidate driven marketplace, HR professionals are realizing more and more that finding the right candidate is a two-way street; you are interviewing them of course, but in return, they are also assessing your company’s culture and offerings for the right fit. In fact, often it can seem as though there are more open positons than qualified candidates, which can lead you to wonder who is interviewing who?
Here are five suggestions for putting your best foot forward in your quest to attract top talent.
Create a Positive Social Media Presence
Candidates today are looking for a great “fit,” and they will often turn to social media to find out if you walk the talk—just like you’re probably mining their social media to find out about them. Especially in a candidate driven job market, it is critical to maintain a robust presence, even inviting employees to post fun shots of their workdays, provided they follow any existing social media policy.
Many companies find they have success starting a social media account devoted exclusively to recruiting; while others fold it into their general platform that also includes news and other company details. Either way, it can paint a powerful picture of your company and the fun and challenging work you do collaboratively.
While websites like Glassdoor.com promote transparency, it also means that candidates are seeking behind-the-scenes intel on what it’s really like to work at your company. Especially in a candidate driven market, it is important as an employer that you know what’s being said about your company online. While you can’t take down reviews you don’t agree with, you can take the opportunity to respond to the poster to state your case.
Be Positive, Candid and Open
No matter how appealing a candidate looks, you don’t want to make promises you can’t keep in the interview process as it will only come back to bite you. Remember that not all policies might be as lenient as you would prefer—for example, some companies just aren’t set up to accommodate flexible schedules or virtual work. Instead, let candidates know what you can do to make sure you are addressing their needs the best way you can. And if you promise to follow up on a certain point, make sure you do.
Be prepared with insightful answers to questions they might ask about the position, their trajectory and the qualities you seek in a candidate; along with more specific questions about the company and its competitive differentiators and growth plans.
And note how you feel if candidates are routinely asking questions that have answers you don’t like, such as a culture that could use some work. You might need to rally other C-level employees and rethink your company vibe so you can create a culture that you are proud of and that will make your workplace stand out.
Offer Top-Tier Benefits
While a competitive salary is important, especially in a tight labor market, today’s candidates will also be pushing for the best options in benefits. Throughout the interview process, showcase the many exceptional offerings you have, from medical and wellness offerings to disability insurance and retirement choices.
Keep Candidates Informed Every Step of the Way
Job seekers frequently complain that human resources managers don’t keep them in the loop or communicate often enough. It would be a shame to see a good candidate slip away just because you didn’t get back to them in a timely manner, and they mistook it for indifference. While we hope candidates are thanking you and your team for your time, it’s smart to do the same for candidates—and all part of the wooing process. When there are more jobs than candidates, as an employer, response time could be dealbreaker in landing that dream hire.
Don’t Wait Too Long to Hire
It’s tempting to wonder if the grass is greener and dip back into the candidate pool, but delaying means you could risk losing a top-notch interviewee. In fact one study found that top-tier candidates were off the market in just 10 days. Another study found that nearly a quarter of candidates declined an offer because the employer took too long to extend it.
Once you’ve made an offer, don’t leave anything else to chance. Start your onboarding immediately to keep the new recruit engaged and ready to show up on the first day.
The candidate-driven market can be challenging to adjust to, but can yield excellent results if you focus on why you are an employer of choice.
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