By Dan Simmons
You’ve decided to bring a new person on, written a realistic job description, determined the qualities you want in this person, and put together a great sales presentation to attract them. So what’s next? Just do it! There is nothing worse for a potential candidate to feel like they are participating in the never-ending interview process.
Timely candidate acquisition will vary depending upon the nature of the position to be filled. It’s often said among recruiters that “time kills all deals” and “anything that drags will get dirty.” What we think is incidental might very well matter to the candidate. Remember, perception is reality.
People like companies where decisions are made in a timely manner. This prompts a couple of questions. Do you have an efficient and effective interview process, and second, is this process effectively communicated to all the participants, including the candidates?
Each situation will vary from company to company and position to position. Candidate acquisition and the availability of interviewers are always variables and deviation usually translates into a lost hire.
Here are some things to keep in mind while setting up your interview and hiring process:
- Determine a realistic timeline for the hire, taking into consideration candidate acquisition time, along with the availability of those participating in the process.
- Communicate the new job description to all the interviewers so they can adequately prepare for the interviews.
- Keep your interview process efficient and concise.
- Make sure the time between the receipt of the candidate’s application and the initial contact by a company official is timely. This is a critical time period in the process.
- Keep all your on-site interviews efficient. Make certain that all the decision makers and influencers are available to interview candidates on the same day. This applies to the work facility, corporate, or any other site.
- Make sure all the interviewers are fully prepared. Many times the process can get bogged down by a participant who does not have the requisite skills to properly prepare for an interview, and as a result, is not readily available.
- Finally, when the interview process is complete, make a decision and offer the job to your number-one candidate. If they don’t accept it, offer it to your number-two and number-three until you’ve exhausted your pool of viable candidates.
If you have any specific questions regarding unique situations your company is experiencing, or if you have any difficulty after following your process for filling the position, please do not hesitate to contact us. We’ll be happy to work with you in establishing an efficient process that will ensure success.
Daniel C. Simmons is a Certified Personnel Consultant who has been recruiting since 1991. Dan has won over twenty awards in the last decade with the Top Echelon Network, America’s leading placement network including Placer of the Year in 2009 & 2010.
Frequently Dan also is a recruiter trainer and has been featured at various Top Echelon Conventions and online as a speaker for various webinars. He has also been published in The Fordyce Letter the recruiting industry’s #1 magazine.
Is Your Company Looking for Great Candidates? Contact Dan Today!