If your recruitment processes are clumsy or hiring managers are not trained on how to interview and hire, talented candidates move on.
Being an international company with a fancy brand, a beautiful office in the Central Business District, and a foreign CEO running the country and region is not enough to attract top talent.
Let’s say you have managed to get some talented candidates to accept an invitation to come to your office to interview with you and/or the hiring manager.
- Have you informed your receptionist that so and so candidate is coming for an interview today? Have you instructed the receptionist to greet the candidate by name and say welcome, thank you for coming.
- Have you checked that the office lobby area is presentable and free of clutter and office supply deliveries?
- Have you checked that the meeting room is set up properly? Chairs are back under the table? The whiteboard is wiped clean and no leftover coffee cups from previous meetings?
- Have you booked the meeting room from 30 minutes before the interview start, so the candidate coming early does not have to wait in the lobby area?
- Has HR/TA printed all supporting documents to the hiring manager; such as resume, interview questions, psychometric assessment report, and what about the company brochure/flyer that the candidate can take back home?
Remember, failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
A lack of a warm welcome, a disorganized meeting room, or an interviewer arriving late can give candidates the impression that your company is not organized or professional.
Respect your job candidate’s time, or you may find yourself starting over.
I withdrew my candidacy from a company I really liked
So, who said so?
Who pulled out of the hiring process and why?
A copywriter named Lauren Baer posted on LinkedIn earlier this year, that she had pulled out of the hiring process. Sadly because she loved the job opportunity and company.
This is her post.
I had interviewed with five different team members, including the CEO. All of them agreed I was, and I quote, “the strongest candidate”. The CEO said they were down to two people.
But at the last minute they wanted me to complete another writing exercise. On top of the two I had already done, and they had already liked. (Not to mention there was only meant to be one when the hiring process was outlined.)
It had me questioning whether they knew what they were looking for. Whether this was symptomatic of a bigger internal problem. Even their ethics. So I withdrew.
Today I saw the job listing was reposted.
So either I was the only candidate all along, or the other person withdrew too.
Moral of the story? When you like a candidate, extend the offer.
You’re not 100% sure? Extend the offer. Another round of interviews or another task will have diminishing returns at best, or at worst have you starting from scratch.
Extend offer to the good-enough candidate
This is important and worth repeating.
- You’re not 100 percent sure? Extend the offer.
- Another round of interviews or another task will have diminishing returns at best, or at worst have you starting from scratch.
Unless you are telling all the candidates you interview, that they are the strongest candidate, why don’t you offer them the job? Right there and then,.
Don’t miss out on a strong candidate by waiting for the perfect match. Extend the offer when you have a good fit in front of you.
Remember, the purpose of hiring is to find a capable individual to fill the role, not to hold out for an ideal candidate that may never appear.
Sorry to be blunt about this. If you keep dreaming that there is someone somewhere who is the perfect candidate in all areas, take a look in the mirror and be grateful no one required you to be perfect on day one for your job.
