Out Recruit The Competition
By Brett M. Stevens, Thu Dec 8th
We hear from our clients that they “hope the candidate takes thejob.” Hiring a candidate shouldn’t be a guessing game. After youinterview a candidate thoroughly, and spend a great deal of timeand money getting them through the process, you should not haveto worry about “landing them.”
Donald Trump was quoted as supporting paying full price forsomething important to you. Many deals, both in business and inpersonal situations, are lost over $5,000-10,000. $5,000 to$10,000 broken down over time is a small amount. Imagine losingyour dream house over $5,000. That’s roughly $14 per month.That’s a tough loss. Again, if there is something you must have,pay full price and don’t let it slip away.
We recruited for a Tier One software company where many of thecandidates were also being entertained by a Big 5 consultingfirm. My client was the software company and almost always wewould get the candidate (even though the compensation was lessand the company name wasn’t as prestigious; it was because thesoftware company did a better job of recruiting).
Here was their typical interview process…
Attracting the Right Talent: *An Executive Recruiter was alwaysused *There is something about being “recruited” that makes acandidate feel special *They moved quickly from resume to firsttelephone interview
Transportation: *They arranged for excellent travelaccommodations; flying better airlines at better times *Theyarranged to have the candidate picked up at the airport by alimo service
Entering the Building: *They had a welcome sign at the door withthe candidate’s name on it *The receptionist was expecting thecandidate and made him feel important
Interviewing Process: *Candidates were chaperoned around frominterview to interview; every candidate was treated as a guestin their house, not just another body interviewing *Aftermeeting everyone, the candidate had a nice debrief with arepresentative from the Human Resources department and was thenescorted to the car waiting departure back to the airport
The Offer: *Selected candidates could expect a verbal offerwithin 48 hours of the final interview and a letter of offersent overnight mail *The offer could be contingent upon a goodbackground check
How Candidates are lost: •Waiting for days, if not weeks, forreferences and background checks •Candidate can be recruitedaway while waiting for the background check to be completed•Delays create hesitation in the candidate’s mind about thehiring company •Delays reflect poorly on the company’s abilityto move quickly •Lowball offer after waiting
I have almost a 100% acceptance rate from candidates. Oftentimes it isn’t the best money or the best opportunity they hadbeen offered. It was the high quality interviewing process.Considering the time and effort by the people in the company andthe additional expenses of travel, companies can’t afford tolose the right candidate. Hiring is like any relationship: “Themore you put into it, the more you get out of it.”
About the author:Brett Stevens is founder and President of The SearchLogix Group(http://www.searchlogixgroup.com). He has been recognized inmany trade and online magazines and is a notable guest speakerand most recently, Brett was recognized internationally by theAmerican Stroke Association for his fundraising efforts. You canemail Brett at mailto:brettstevenspr@searchlogixgroup.com ortelephone him at 770-517-2660.
