The recruitment process, is it simply the process organisations follow to find new employees? Or is it about marketing?
Many of us know that recruitment is about selling, but the product you are really selling here is your company and few organisations see it this way.
Most organisations will have an advertising and marketing budget, they will most likely have a Marketing Manager and they will spend time and money into getting the right message across about the organisation, so that people want to buy from them, use their services and work for them but when it comes to the recruitment process few organisations use this process as a marketing opportunity at no additional cost.
Getting the Most out of Each Step of the Recruitment Process
Once a manager has identified what they need, a job description is produced, an advert is put together or a recruitment agency is contacted and a closing date is agreed. Then CV’s or applications start coming and they are put into piles of yes / no and then what happens? Is your organisation quick to contact applicants? This is the first opportunity to touch base with applicants and make a good impression.
Once interviews are arranged this is another opportunity to market your organisation. Your job at this stage is to generate up enough interest so that your organisation is their first choice for employment. You cannot leave too much time between identifying viable candidates and the first interview, otherwise the candidates involved will lose interest and tell people that your organisation was slow at coming back to them.
When the interview is taking place there is also a lot to be considered – when the candidate walks through the door, what is the first thing they see – they will remember this. Is the interviewer on time, have they read through the CV, do they know the job description and do they have the correct CV or application form with them? If the interviewer is not passionate about the job they will not be able to sell the position to the right candidate, so before the job is presented to the candidate ask yourself would you do this job.
First Impressions Count
This is crucial for making the right impression so that the candidate walks away from the interview feeling good and wanting to work at the organisation. Anything negative they experience in this first meeting will stick and will leave a bad taste in their mouth, they will go and talk to their friends and family, update their social media status about how the interviewer turned up late, they had the wrong CV, they didn’t know enough about the job, they checked their mobile phone – all that money spent on marketing to make your organisation look good – wasted.
The Follow-up
After the interview, whether it is positive or negative feedback, the candidate must be contacted within a specified timeframe or you may lose a highly capable candidate because you didn’t get back to them when you said you would! Consequences; they have now accepted another role or decided that they don’t want to work for an organisation who didn’t call them with any feedback be it good, constructive or bad.
Sell, Sell, Sell
In a nutshell, your goal throughout the recruitment process is to generate enough interest amongst job seekers so that they want to work for your organisation. After their first interview they walk away imagining themselves working there and you don’t keep them waiting for feedback. If they are unsuccessful offer them advice and encourage them to keep in touch through social media and encourage them to apply in the future. Be positive and they will remember this.
Clearly there is a lot more to the recruitment process than you might have initially thought. Creating a basic timescale is helpful to keep you on track and use each stage as a marketing opportunity, ‘fail to plan, plan to fail’ we have all heard it, it’s annoying but it’s true. Use your recruitment process not only to recruit but also as a marketing opportunity to get your organisations name out there, recommended and praised.
It’s not just about the candidate making the right impression on you, you need to make your best impression on the applicant. Take an interest in them as an individual, take the time to show them around your offices, introduce them to key people – if you can do all the above you are not only selling the job but also promoting the organisation.
It’s one thing bringing promising candidates in for interview and another thing entirely making the right impression. A high percentage of managers/recruiting personnel have never received formal training in how to conduct successful interviews and insight as to the importance of tight timescales, yet you are expected to make all the right decisions.
Interviewer Techniques
Learn how to recruit the best employees with Hart’s essential Interviewer training. Managers/recruitment personnel will be taught the most effective questions to ask and what to look for when in front of a candidate. Our half-day training sessions include:
Before the interview
- Breaking down the job description and candidate requirements
- Identifying the key competencies for the role
During the interview
- Understanding different interview formats
- Asking the most beneficial questions to gain evidence of achievement
- The legalities of what you can ask
After the interview
- Improving the decision-making process
- Becoming comfortable with employment legislation
For more information contact our MD Phillippa Hart at: ph@hartrecruitment.co.uk
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