While most of our hiring processes have gone remote, it can be difficult to locate, interview, and hire the exact person who is right for the job. If you’re a hiring manager and you’re not sure how to attract the best candidates for your team, we’ve got some excellent and timely tips for you.
1. Provide well-written, clear job descriptions.
Candidates are attracted to jobs that sound exciting, will help further their careers, pay well, and have reasonable expectations. Your job description is a gateway into what candidates can expect in your workplace, so you have to be extra clear about the job responsibilities, benefits, and pay. Any job descriptions that try to shoehorn two roles into one are primed to be ignored. The same goes for job descriptions that use vague language. Get specific about your expectations but also let the reader know how exciting the day-to-day work can be. Be sure to discuss how this role can lead to career advancement within the company, too—candidates want to work for a place that considers their future as well as their present.
2. Put your values, culture, and benefits upfront.
Since our world has gone through tumultuous changes in recent years (and will no doubt continue), people are more and more discerning with the employers they're willing to work for. On your website and in job descriptions, present your company values front-and-center with clear examples of how you enact them in the workplace. By being clear with your values, you’ll find that you’ll attract like-minded candidates, making it easier for you to make your final hiring decisions. Similarly, be real about how you foster a great workplace culture—what do you do specifically to ensure that people enjoy being at work, work well with each other, and that the company is truly inclusive? Finally, outline all the great benefits of working at your company. In addition to those benefits, you should also mention what types of career development and advancement you foster. Opportunities like paying for education or hands-on training are helpful to mention as a part of your benefits package.
3. Offer a great rate and be open about it.
Not only is this practice now the law in certain states, but including salary ranges for your jobs is a great way to attract candidates. Candidates can evaluate if the pay rate is right for them and if it’s fair for the current state of the workplace. So do your research and come up with a budget that is fair for your city and relative to the job responsibilities at hand. Posting salary ranges does more than provide information—it also signals to candidates that you are transparent and fair about pay. Transparency fosters trust and adds value to how your company culture is perceived. People want to work for companies that are open and honest so they’re more likely to invest time in interviewing for the job in question.
4. Simplify your hiring process.
Everyone’s tired of jumping through hoops when it comes to the interviewing process. This starts with how complicated the UX is in your application process. Are you asking candidates to type out their resume... after they've already uploaded it in your ATS? Even if there's a good reason for the process, there's better software to handle keyword searches of resumes now. After you get the application process right, you also don’t want too much of your time to be devoted to rounds and rounds of interviews while you’re trying to tackle important projects. Be strategic about the candidates you want to meet, limit the rounds of interviews, and don’t wait too long to hire or send feedback to candidates. If you find that the candidate pool is just too big and difficult to navigate, turn to recruiters who have demonstrated experience in hiring for your industry.
5. Work with a recruiter who gets your strategy.
Hiring becomes easier when you leave it up to the pros. Working with recruiters can quicken the overall process and ensure that you’re interviewing the right candidates for the job at hand. As we mentioned, look for agencies that are devoted to your industry with a proven track record of hiring great talent. It’ll also mean that they already know some great candidates within their network, thereby narrowing your search significantly. Together, you can get specific about your strategy and needs before beginning your search. Then work closely with them to find the right person on the timeline and budget that suits you.
Not sure where to start? Why not give Artisan a try? With over 25 years of experience in hiring top creative and marketing talent, our recruiters are some of the best in the biz
