How to Hire the Best Person for the Job
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It’s no secret these days that choice in the labour market is beginning to swing very much in the candidate’s favour. Increasingly we see that candidates are interviewing for multiple roles at one time. Their thirst at the moment is fuelled by the poor market that introduced itself through the recession of the past few years.
Presently with Ireland’s economy thankfully beginning to emerge from the doldrums job creation is back in full swing leading to a shortage of people in some industries. The question on many hiring manager’s minds now is how to hire the best person for the job before they are snatched up by a competitor. Here are some tips to try ensure that you have the right person for the job and to make an offer that they cannot refuse.
Know Your Market And The Pace It’s Moving At
If you are recruiting for a role in a market that is new i.e. IT/digital then it is important to know the state of the marketplace and what to expect regarding applicants, skills and experience levels.
Create A Clear Timeline, Most Importantly Outlining The ‘Offer Stage’
Outline the interview process before publishing a job spec as this will give you a timescale and deadline. Know when your offer stage will take place and alert candidates to this so they do not feel strung along and confused.
Know What All Stakeholders Are Looking For Before You Go To Market
Choosing a candidate is a stressful job but when different people choose assorted candidates the ambiguity may lead to drawn out discussions and losing the best candidate. Consider the role together and decide on the main responsibilities, scoring skills on importance before shortlisting CVs.
Set Clear Structure Weighting The Main Competencies For The Role
Directly related to the above having scorecards for every interviewer to fill out can help refresh memories in the decision making stage. Skills can be more important than experience sometimes, and this is hard to put across on a two page CV.
When You Have Met A Suitable Candidate Make An Offer
In the present market hours can be the difference between getting the right person and going through multiple processes for the same role. Don’t be afraid to appear enthusiastic about a person but don’t overdo it and appear desperate.
A clear and sensible recruitment plan can make life a lot easier for Hiring Managers ensuring that you won’t be understaffed longer than you have to be. We are seeing quite a lot lately that candidates are having multiple interviews/ job offers and being counter offered so it is important to be responsive and not delay the process.
Working with a good recruitment agency can help a lot in these situation as they can inform you where the candidate is interviewing and their preferences at the time. There can be more control over the process with definite interview dates and timelines. When the decision is made, make sure it’s a valid offer and always put it in writing as this can mean a lot to a candidate who has a big decision to make. Remember also that money is rarely the real motivator behind the candidate’s move, more often than not it’s progression, environment, a new challenge or circumstances so it is important for any company to confer the same level of professionalism on the their potential hires as they do to their employees and customers.
