5 Weeks to Hire

Sourcing, attracting, and hiring top communications and marketing candidates is a daunting process, especially for corporate recruiters who rarely hire communications talent, are not familiar with the details and nuances of the needs of the profession, and are busy meeting the hiring demands of many departments, divisions, and types of professionals.  Studies agree that up to 70% of hiring managers say they have trouble recruiting the right candidates. This leaves them frustrated with overworked team members and underserviced clients; and so are their recruiters, who can’t close jobs.

The solution?  Shorten the hiring cycle by improving the process for the employer and the candidates.

How?  With decades of experience and thousands of placements, here are 3 Steps that will get you to a more efficient process and hires completed in 5 weeks.**

 

Three steps to make the 5-week hiring process a reality:

  • Get it together internally: critically review your hiring processes
  • Provide an exceptional candidate experience
  • Be realistic and manage everyone’s expectations along the way

STEP 1 – CRITICALLY REVIEW YOUR HIRING PROCESSES 

  • Audit & Fix. Review your current processes, eliminating outdated processes and installing ones that create greater efficiencies.
  • Ready to Roll. Have ALL approvals in place for the hire before you start the search or engage recruiters.
  • Clear? Crystal! Be clear on what the role is and is not. Provide specifics in the job description.  Make sure HR is on the same page.
  • Know what SELLS. Make sure the job description is compelling, concise, and not boilerplate.  Know what is enticing about the role and the company – what sells  Generic job descriptions will not persuade top talent.
  • Relevant Benefits. Offer benefits that MATTER to today’s prospective employees.  Work/life balance is critical for Millennials and generations to come.  Things like telecommuting, generous PTO, and parental leave are often more important than salary.
  • Truly Partner. Recruiters are your friend – whether external or internal.  Make them advocates for the company by arming them with the upfront search detail, and providing feedback and updates every step of the way.  Transparency and communication are key. 
  • Don’t Let the Search “Spoil.” Set a “hire by” date and stick to it (no longer than 5 weeks). It can be done!

STEP 2 – THE CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE 

  • Celeb Candidates. Roll out the red carpet and treat them like celebrities. From the minute they step into the building, until the minute they leave, candidates should have an exceptional experience. Consider having a “candidate concierge,” an employee (HR or hiring dept.) assigned to the candidate who ensures that everything runs smoothly i.e. the candidate is never ignored and kept waiting for interviews, they are accompanied to lunch, and any expenses are handled promptly.  Seemingly minor things, like not validating parking, can send a message about your company and turn off a top candidate.
  • Good PR. Treating candidates well is also smart Employer Branding.  Candidates will talk about their experience with the company on Glassdoor and other social media platforms.  If treated badly, the company’s reputation can take a hit, and it will be that much harder to recruit talent.   Remember, candidates are interviewing the employer too.
  • 6 in the Mix. Limit the number of candidates to six or less to avoid interview burn-out on your team and keep the process moving for candidates and staff.
  • Turbo-boost the Process. Providing recruiters (internal/external) with consistent and substantive feedback will help them dial in the search and result in better matches.  General comments like “just not the right fit,” will not help recruiters calibrate their efforts and ultimately slows the process.  Candidates also deserve timely and substantive feedback, so they can either stay engaged in the search or move on to other opportunities.  It’s also another way to generate positive employer branding.
  • Patient, Empathetic Negotiation.  When you find the person you want to hire, make sure you get engaged in the negotiation and work toward “making a deal.”  Be patient and understand this is a life-changing decision and that compensation packages and benefits can be complex.  When candidates negotiate the terms of the deal, they are not indicating a lack of interest.  On the contrary it’s a sign that they are seeking to come to an agreement that will keep them in the role for the long term.  Expect a negotiation.  Don’t let it sour your opinion of a candidate.

STEP 3 – BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF  

Unicorn Hunting. Know your competition, your market, and your own culture and be realistic about the talent you can attract.  Don’t set your sights on unrealistic creatures only found in the gene-splitting laboratory of a mad scientist.

  • Know what/who SELLS your company best and promote it.
  • Eliminate “Debbie Downers.” People who aren’t strong advocates for the company and the role, or are just plain boring interviewers, should not be part of the process.
  • Hire the person, NOT the role. Look beyond a resume and job description and see core candidate strengths.  Identify aspects of the job that can be easily learned and others that must be embodied by every candidate.
  • Identify potential. If you find a candidate that is 75% of what you’re looking for, hire them.  The remaining 25% is on the company to train and groom the individual for success, and on the candidate to grow, learn, and perform.
  • Dedicate the time. Talent is the single most important aspect of most   By dedicating the time and effort to focus on building an efficient process that treats candidates well, you will ultimately be making your job easier – and improving the performance and reputation of your team and company.

** PR Talent will provide free consultation on how to install this process for new clients.  And if you don’t have a current search for us, we would be glad to work with you on a consulting basis to get you to a 5-week hiring process.