This article was so awesome that instead of writing something super fab myself (I promise, next week…) I am sharing my favorite excerpts from the recent ERE article, 6 Things Hiring Managers Don’t Get About Recruiting.
It’s so true, and honestly, everyone on a hiring team should be reading this – not just those who make the final call.
How we hire people says a lot about our company culture in general – so hiring teams, think about how you are representing during this whole thing (or, as I mentioned in another post, put yourself in their shoes), and applicants, take note of the process as you determine if this is where you want to be (remember your intuition!).
With that, here are four of my favorite points made in the article…
There’s no silver bullet Some hiring managers will consider only the most perfect candidate. The candidate must have the correct degree, must live within a commutable distance, must have the right niche of skills, must have international experience, must be willing to work for “x” amount of dollars, must love ping pong, and must be able to juggle three cats while riding up a ramp backwards on a unicycle…Your dream engineering candidate…believe it or not might not live within 20 miles from your headquarters. Train and be flexible on relocation (or remote work) if you want your silver bullet. Additionally, if the candidate doesn’t have the degree you want but beaucoup experience in the field then defer to the experience and take advantage of their real-world skills.
Don’t procrastinate Hiring managers are hot to fill their open positions, yet they may take four days to review the resumes passed their way, another week to schedule the interview, and another two weeks after meeting with the candidate to decide if they want to bring the candidate in for another interview. What hiring managers don’t realize is that the superstar candidate is also entertaining offers from other companies and their procrastination might lose them their top draft pick.
Why the candidate should work for you Hiring managers often approach recruiting as though they are speaking to a candidate with seven children in college all of whom need braces and brain surgery. In other words they think most candidates certainly want, if not need, to work for them and thus approach the candidate with a “what can you do for me” attitude rather than “here’s-why-you-should-want-to-work-for-us” attitude… Tell the candidate why they should want to work for your company, and most importantly why they should want to work for you. Don’t assume your job is the Holy Grail for which candidates have long been searching.
“And the sign says ‘long haired freaky people need not apply” “If you don’t walk like me or talk like me then odds are you won’t be successful in this organization.” This often-misguided attitude delays the hiring process and the hiring manager’s odds of finding that superstar candidate. The engineer who designed the Mars Rover landing wears two earrings.