Look, no one wants to be told they’re not doing a good job. I’ll take the flak right here at the top. But as the fall hiring season starts and you find that your candidates are turning out to be more like guppies than prize-winning catches (apologies for that corny analogy) it may not be entirely the candidate’s fault.
There may be steps you, as the awesome recruiter you are, can take to make sure your candidates end up being as stellar as possible. Here’s how to sift through your options and find the real prize-winners.
Handle Expectations
First and foremost, you have to make sure both the hiring team and the candidate have the same levels of expectation. Maybe your hiring manager is expecting a master’s degree candidate with a paltry market value salary (we know how that’ll end), or maybe your candidate is expecting a limitless PTO account with minimal accountability (we definitely know how that will end). That’s when you have to take a time out and separate the “needs” from the “wants.” Everyone can win here, but only if we know what we’re playing for.
Be Clear About Job Duties
Have you ever filled a job with a person who ended up ghosting them a week later? Chances are that the fleet-footed employee was unfamiliar with what their job would actually entail and decided to leave as soon as the shine came off the apple. The best way to combat that is to be honest up front: yes, some jobs may not be glamorous, but maybe the company has a collaborative atmosphere or is well-known for promoting from within. As long as your candidates are prepared for what comes after day one, you’ll have a happy candidate and hiring team.
Change Up Your Game
“If you’ve done what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always get.” It’s a hard idea for any employee to face, but as a recruiter, you especially need to know when it’s time to change up your hiring tricks. Searching the same keywords on the same two job boards, day in, day out, will get you candidates, sure, but will it get you the quality candidates we’re all hoping for? Only time—and your hiring manager—will tell.
The key is to not wait for something to become a problem. Be honest, clear, and communicative, and your candidates will be the top earners you always knew they would be.