Month: May 2015

7 Steps for Recruiting Hard-to-find Passive Candidates

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_02Passive candidates are highly sought after for their skills yet difficult to obtain in the current job market. Because they are already employed, passive candidates are typically content in their careers and not actively searching for new job opportunities. Find out how a 7-step process could help you in recruiting passive candidates.

1. Defining candidates

Make out a detailed list of a performance-based job description defining the requirements for the perfect candidate. This list goes beyond a simple job description; instead, it outlines the work that needs to be done. If you can confirm your candidate is competent and motivated to accomplish the work described, then you can be assured that person has the requirements for the position.

2. Finding candidates

A quick Boolean search can help you find a group of select candidates that fit your description. LinkedIn is another great way to get connected with passive candidates.

3. Contacting candidates

A compelling email or a brief voicemail is a great way to catch a potential candidate’s attention.

4. Discussing the opportunity

Engaging in a conversation about a potential job opportunity is not difficult; however, the way you deliver the discussion could either make or break it. An important thing to remember is to not pitch too hard too fast. This means taking the time to listen and determine what the person would require to seriously consider the offer.

5. Attracting the candidate

Selling the job is not always the key to persuasion. Find out what the gaps are between the performance-based job description and what they have accomplished. Express your concerns about these potential problem areas for growth. When your candidate tries to convince you of why they are qualified for the job, you know you are ready to move forward.

6. Focusing on career opportunity

Maximize the career growth opportunity rather than focusing on compensation. Convincing candidates that the opportunity presents the best option for them is a deal winner. You don’t want your candidate to be sold on the wrong reasons.

7. Hiring managers’ accountability

Holding your hiring mangers accountable to a certain standard of high quality is important. You want the best people for the job, but you also need a right fit in company culture.

Having a recruitment strategy in place specifically designed for passive candidates can help tremendously. This 7-step process, if followed correctly, is sure to land you passive job prospects.

The Hiring Process: Interviewing Potential Job Candidates

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_012While vast amounts of resources exist, there is no perfect answer to selecting the right person for your organization. Nevertheless, the interview is a tremendous link in the hiring process. When used effectively, your hiring team can get more out of the interview to help you make better hiring decisions.

Interviewing potential job candidates is one of the last steps in the hiring process. There are actions that precede meeting with candidates to discuss a job opening. It is best to make sure that your recruiting team completes these actions, which will have a direct impact on the effectiveness of the interviews.

Objectives for Interviewing Candidates

Essentially, there are five objectives for every job interview. Accomplishing all five shows how well you are prepared to introduce your organization and position to people who have applied for the job.

1. Collect relevant information about the potential candidate
2. Describe position and expectations of the job
3. Assess how well the job candidate may fit into the position and corporate culture
4. Educate job candidate about the culture and purpose for the organization’s existence
5. Answer any of the candidate’s questions

Plan the Interview

Keep in mind that the interview begins before you sit down with a candidate. In preparation, make sure that you:

• Review the job description
• Prepare questions that focus on skills, abilities and past work performances
• Determine measurable criteria for comparing and analyzing each candidate
• Decide if a panel or one-on-one interview style is appropriate
• Review all documents from job candidates
• Prepare applicable tests that relate to job skills

During the Interview

Give the job candidate space to formulate answers that demonstrate a good fit for your company’s needs. Do this without offering too many details upfront and possibly putting words into the candidate’s mouth.

Ask questions that provide insight into the candidate’s past work performances. For example, if the open position demands organization skills, you might ask, “How do you keep track of desk work and schedules?” Pay attention to how the candidate listens and responds.

Arrange to conduct the interview in a private and reasonably comfortable room. With a solid list of questions and ample preparation time, you are in a stronger position to turn job candidates into productive employees.

 

Engineering, Designing and Deploying a Career Web Page That’s Accessible From Anywhere on the Employer Website

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_016An increasing number of job seekers are using mobile devices to conduct their employment searches. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly or fully functional on mobile devices, your company may be missing a large segment of the candidate population as 77 percent of job seekers read postings and 45 percent apply for jobs on their smartphones [1]. Consider these tips when engineering your recruitment website.

Setting up a User-friendly Career Web Page

When creating a job recruitment page for your corporate website, take the time to work with the IT team to ensure the page is accessible on a wide variety of devices. What works on an iPhone does not necessarily show up correctly on a Blackberry or Android device. The page should also offer responsive design elements such as fluid images, flexible resolution and compatibility with different Web browsers.

Enhancing Website Accessibility

To make your career page accessible from anywhere on the corporate website, consider the page resolution. If you want to be mobile-friendly without having a separate mobile website, adjust the page format to portrait, rather than landscape. You’ll also need to adjust the text size and make images small, if you include them at all. Your IT department should test the accessibility using a variety of devices to ensure that the recruitment page works as expected from all the links on your website.

Making the Recruitment Page Easy for Job Seekers to Find

During the process of deploying your new recruitment page, ensure that the job listings page is easy to find from anywhere on your website. Simple buttons that direct candidates to the job search tool or application page make it easier for visitors to find what they are looking for. Each page should contain these buttons, including your home page. No animation or videos should be on the job seeking pages as these make the pages load too slowly for mobile device users. If you want to create a video to show users how to apply for a position with your company, embed a link to the video so they can view it from a separate page or window.

[1] http://about.beyond.com/infographics/mobile-job-search-apps

Recruitment Using Social Media: How to Turn Connections into Candidates

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

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Building a solid company starts with recruiting and hiring solid people who share your corporate values. One way to connect directly with high-caliber candidates is through your current social media connections. Last year, 73% of recruiters successfully hired a candidate through social media. [1]

With unprecedented access to large numbers of people, social media sites provide an effective tool for finding candidates with the experience and skills that your company needs.

The following information offers some tips for productive efforts when using social media as a recruiting tool.

Think Quality vs. Quantity

Without much debate, it is best to build the quality – not just quantity – of your connections. While social media sites enable you to widen the recruitment pool, you must be careful to reach the right people. Having 50 potential candidates who appear to be a close fit for your company is more valuable than 500 people who use their connections as a numbers game. Less is definitely more when incorporated as a targeted strategy to recruit the right people.

Potential Candidates are Recruiting You, Too

Do not forget: social media works as a two-way street. You are looking for connections that lead to great candidates; your connections are looking for connections that lead to a great place to work. Make sure that your social media presence projects the right image and perception. This involves having current and relevant information on all the social media sites where your company is active, as well as the company website.

Ask questions. Perhaps they want to know something about your company that is not common knowledge. Ask how they plan to become an effective employee or better person. Answers may reveal who might be a good fit.

Savvy Recruitment Ideas to Get Started

A keyboard and computer screen may separate you from social media connections, but some offline conversations can still apply. Use appropriate sites to engage connections with good conversation topics. Start by describing what a typical day is like working at your company. Share team profiles, insights into the culture and statements from employees to give an inside glimpse.

Another discussion starter is sharing industry news. People who are interested in working at your company are also interested in hearing about the latest industry information.

Pay attention to which strategies work best for attracting the ideal candidates.

[1] http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/245097