Recruiting can be a daunting and time-consuming task for many organizations.

 

It seems like it should be an easy process but it never is. Companies want to find the best candidates, but they don't want to spend a ton of time interviewing the wrong candidates or weeding through resumes. And in this labour market, companies that dont have a well-oiled hiring process often lose candidates to their competitors. 

So how can you create a better process? 

Here are three best practices from our Toronto recruiting team to ensure recruiting success and create a great candidate experience: 

Get aligned before you start

Before you start the hiring process it's critical to come up with a game plan of who will be involved in the interviewing and decision-making process, what the interview process will look like, and key dates and timelines. If your interview process drags out too long or has too many unnecessary steps, you're almost always putting yourself in a position to lose the candidate you're interested in as a result. It's important that candidates know the exact steps in your process BEFORE committing their time to the interview so they can better manage their own expectations and other interview processes accordingly. When you are less organized or add in additional (and usually unnecessary) steps, it can also signal doubts to the candidate, which can result in them bowing out of your process.

Communicate, communicate, communicate 

The easiest way for companies to create a GREAT candidate experience is to just communicate consistently with candidates who are going through your hiring process. No candidate should go more than a few days without hearing from you. Within 48 hours of your interview, you and your team should be able to communicate clear next steps in the process or let the candidate know they are not moving forward. Momentum is important, and it shows candidates how your organization values people.

Sell your mission and vision 

The interviewing and hiring process is not a one-sided conversation. You and the candidates you meet with need to be mutually aligned on values, goals and your organization’s mission and vision. Highlight your culture and career development opportunities, focus on the benefits of the job, the people they'd get to work with, and what makes your company a fantastic place to work. Discuss why you and your team love going to work every day. Although salary continues to be a top priority for candidates accepting new roles, culture and learning and development are a very close second and often the tipping point when a candidate is picking between two offers. 

Not sure where to start? We can help.

At South End Partners, our Toronto executive recruiters work with large and small organizations across industries (from technology, to supply chain, to sales and operations) to help them find the right leaders for the right opportunities using an objective, data driven approach.

We also provide comprehensive HR consulting services including onboarding support, interview coaching and training, and strategies to develop your superstar teams.

Reach out to find out how we can help you today!