We hear from our clients that they “hope the candidate takes the
job.” Hiring a candidate shouldn’t be a guessing game. After you
interview a candidate thoroughly, and spend a great deal of time
and money getting them through the process, you should not have
to worry about “landing them.”
Donald Trump was quoted as supporting paying full price for
something important to you. Many deals, both in business and in
personal situations, are lost over $5,000-10,000. $5,000 to
$10,000 broken down over time is a small amount. Imagine losing
your 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 the
candidates were also being entertained by a Big 5 consulting
firm. My client was the software company and almost always we
would get the candidate (even though the compensation was less
and the company name wasn’t as prestigious; it was because the
software company did a better job of recruiting).
Here was their typical interview process…
Attracting the Right Talent: *An Executive Recruiter was always
used *There is something about being “recruited” that makes a
candidate feel special *They moved quickly from resume to first
telephone interview
Transportation: *They arranged for excellent travel
accommodations; flying better airlines at better times *They
arranged to have the candidate picked up at the airport by a
limo service
Entering the Building: *They had a welcome sign at the door with
the candidate’s name on it *The receptionist was expecting the
candidate and made him feel important
Interviewing Process: *Candidates were chaperoned around from
interview to interview; every candidate was treated as a guest
in their house, not just another body interviewing *After
meeting everyone, the candidate had a nice debrief with a
representative from the Human Resources department and was then
escorted to the car waiting departure back to the airport
The Offer: *Selected candidates could expect a verbal offer
within 48 hours of the final interview and a letter of offer
sent overnight mail *The offer could be contingent upon a good
background check
How Candidates are lost: •Waiting for days, if not weeks, for
references and background checks •Candidate can be recruited
away while waiting for the background check to be completed
•Delays create hesitation in the candidate’s mind about the
hiring company •Delays reflect poorly on the company’s ability
to move quickly •Lowball offer after waiting
I have almost a 100% acceptance rate from candidates. Often
times it isn’t the best money or the best opportunity they had
been offered. It was the high quality interviewing process.
Considering the time and effort by the people in the company and
the additional expenses of travel, companies can’t afford to
lose the right candidate. Hiring is like any relationship: “The
more you put into it, the more you get out of it.”
About Author :
Brett Stevens is founder and President of The SearchLogix Group
(http://www.searchlogixgroup.com). He has been recognized in
many trade and online magazines and is a notable guest speaker
and most recently, Brett was recognized internationally by the
American Stroke Association for his fundraising efforts. You can
email Brett at mailto:brettstevenspr@searchlogixgroup.com or
telephone him at 770-517-2660.