First and foremost in the process of recruitment, a good manager must develop the personal ability to attract good people.
Another important factor in attracting winners to your firm is the manner in which you present the employment opportunity. Once again, there are stark comparisons. A contrast of actual examples will illustrate the point. Incidentally, the first example is not an isolated case.
Example 1
A candidate comes into an office for an interview. The staff person (or manager) who conducts the interview believes the candidate may be good in this business. The manager makes a presentation of the opportunity, highlighting the income potential and little else. The candidate is pushed for a quick decision on an opportunity he or she knows little about with an employment service they know nothing about.
One of the two results will follow. The candidate panics, leaves the office, never to be heard from again. Or, the ill-informed candidate accepts the offer and begins work with little or no commitment to the job. A high risk for turnover is built into this.
Example 2
A candidate comes into an office for an interview. The staff person (or manager), after poring over their recruiting software to find a great fit, believes the candidate may be good in this business. The manager approaches the candidate, indicates that he may have an opportunity that would be of interest.
The manager then asks a series of qualifying questions to determine the candidate’s initial interest. If interest is present, the manager makes a preliminary presentation on the opportunity, stressing the firm’s selectivity, comprehensive hiring process, the position’s career potential and the rewards of the job in terms of challenge, job satisfaction, and personal growth.
If the candidate is interested in learning more, the manager explains the multiple steps in the hiring process and sets up the first interview.
In the first example, everyone is forced into making a premature decision.
Recruitment vision and commitment
Remember: It’s not realistic to expect a new employee to give the position a level of commitment that is greater than the manager gave the hiring process.
In the second example, the manager and candidate go through a carefully constructed, mutual selection process (see “High Turnover Is NOT Just Part of the Business“). The emphasis is placed on the uniqueness of the opportunity in terms of what it offers in job satisfaction, challenge, career growth and personal reward. Additionally, the nature of the selection process itself underscores the need to ensure that both parties are making the right decision.
One of the consistent qualities present in most winners is their ability to make good decisions. In order to make good decisions, they need information.
Understanding this, successful managers ensure their hiring processes are designed to provide the candidates with the information they require to make good decisions. How the information is presented, to a large extent, determines how the opportunity will be perceived. How the opportunity is perceived may determine whether or not the manager can effectively attract the right person.
Recruitment vision and the future
A key element present in the hiring process of successful firms is a presentation of the company’s strategic vision and plan for the future.
Remember: There’s no such thing as a good job with a bad company.
A company without a plan for the future is a company that is destined for trouble. Good candidates know this and refuse to become involved in such a venture. Therefore, you should consider sharing appropriate information about your strategic plan with them during the hiring process.
The areas of greatest interest to the astute candidate include operations, finance, training, marketing, resource allocation, technology and timetables. Nevertheless, your plan can still be as simple as maintaining a boutique operation servicing a specific market niche or as grandiose as becoming the dominant full-service employment firm in your market.
However, trying to hire good people without a strategic plan in place is tantamount to asking them to blindly place their trust in you. For the good candidate—the potential “winner”—the risk is too high. They will pursue alternative employment options.
Therefore, in order to attract the winners, you must be sold on what you are selling, i.e.; a career opportunity in one of the most exciting fields in business today. Additionally, you must be believable in your presentation of the employment opportunity, and you must demonstrate to the candidates, through your strategic plan, that your firm has a solid foundation and a bright future.
Top Echelon’s Training Library
Top Echelon offers a free monthly webinar as part of its Recruiter Coaching Series. After the webinars are over, we post the recorded version of the webinars in our Recruiter Training Library. These webinars touch upon a variety of recruiter-related topics. These topics deal with both candidates and clients. As always, our goal with these webinars (and corresponding videos) is to help recruiters make more placements.
In addition to training and webinars, Top Echelon offers other recruitment solutions. These solutions include the following:
- Big Biller applicant tracking software
- Top Echelon split fee recruiting network
For more information about Top Echelon and the products and services that it offers, visit the Top Echelon website by clicking here.
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Terry Petra is one of the recruiting industry’s leading trainers and business consultants. A Certified Personnel Consultant since 1975 and a Certified International Personnel Consultant since 1989, Petra has extensive experience as a producer, manager, and trainer in all areas of professional search, including retainer, contingency, and contract, as well as clerical/office support and temporary. For more information about his services, visit his website or call 651.738.8561.