Recruit from a POSITIVE position

Let’s think differently 

I sat down this morning to read five different articles on things to do and not do when interviewing a potential candidate. 

Every single one was based on a negative expectation. I must ask the question: WHY? 

Let’s look at the OBJECTIVE before we even start to look for things we don’t want! 

You are inviting someone you have never met to come into your office to see if they are going to be a good match for the job you need someone to fill. You do not even know how far they will have to travel to get to you. That is not your problem? 

You have, without a shadow of doubt, written out a full job description. How can you understand how anyone can do the job well if you do not understand the challenges yourself? 

Most job descriptions start and end with hard skills, must have and wants. A “short bit” about who, what, when, where, and not about how much. That is fair,  you don’t want to give too much information in case you can get someone cheaper? 

Now you send that information to your recruiter or agency, who knows even less about the job and the company style, who in turn sets their sites on sending you enough CV’s for you to offer a job to someone, so that they get paid their commission.  

This is going well.!  Some, if any, are going to be planning to work for you, and all they want is an offer. How they get that is irrelevant. They will be prepared to answer standard, (stupid), preset questions. 

Here then is my challenge: 

Restart your process with only positives in mind. Your first job will to be sell your company to people looking for a job, and who are able to understand what you will want from them to be good at it! 

You also need them to be able to link their skills and wants to the job and your company. 

You want them to turn up for the interview fully prepared to answer your questions about how they are going to be good for your company, and for you to be in s position to answer their questions about you, your company, the job, and how to do it well, the company structure and values, and business outlook. They will want to be able to compare your offer of salary and bonus’s and holiday entitlement, with other companies. 

You can now send a job application to an individual with these needs laid out clearly, asking them to consider how they will be able to use their working skills and strengths, to do the job well. 

Let them know where to find information about your company and the job, and see what other people are saying about you. 

You can ask them to fill out a questionnaire that tells you what others think about their work, their approach to work, and their working style. 

All of this before you offer an interview. 

Interviews need to be face to face, and you both need to feel confident that any conversations you will have, will focus on finding out if the job/ person match is going to be a good fit. You can encourage them to cover their views on personal contributions and their outlook, to see how your company will plan for this to happen. 

You will be open about the cash value allocated to this position, and how they can grow within your business, with all the support you can commit to. 

Both sides should feel this match – with enthusiasm and good will. 

The interviewer should not be someone who has never interviewed before, and does not know how the job is done well. 

Expectations on measurement can be clearly agreed, not fought over later. 

If the interview goes well and a job offer is ”on the cards”, then you should be able to lay open their first day as part of an introduction to the company, and departments, and people. 

If they are going to be a part of a team, then you need to be able to understand how the team will work well together to a BENCHMARK based on historical performances. You can even get the team to meet the candidate for a post interview “chat”, for both sides to find a reason to support progress. 

Simple really?

The Profile People have the applications and support function to make this simpler for you and the interviewee. We support recruiters at any level whilst you retain the front line and control.