If you are hiring right now, you know that finding the best candidates is essential to your company’s success. But in today’s candidate-driven market, it can be challenging to find the right person for the job.  If you find the right candidate, keeping them engaged enough to show up on the first day and come back the second day can be another challenge. Luckily, we’ve got some tips to help you find the best candidates for your open positions. Keep reading to learn more!

Move fast

Get candidates scheduled as soon as possible, or within three to five days after you receive their information or application.

Streamline your applications

Don’t ask them for everything but the kitchen sink anymore. Name, email address, phone number. If you are asking them to complete an application, keep it short and only collect what information is necessary. An HR consultant or recruiting expert can review it to see if it reflects today’s best practices or is a turn-off to candidates.

Don’t slow down

Keep the interview process moving with second interviews scheduled within three to five days after the first interview.

Communicate about the process

Let candidates know what the process is. How many interviews should they expect? Who will they be meeting with? Perhaps send your internal team’s LinkedIn profiles to them ahead of their interview.

Make a good impression at onsite interviews

Set up a schedule for onsite interviews. Give the candidates breaks and water. Make sure they get to do most of the talking, but be sure to close it out with a good sales pitch about the culture and opportunities. 

Sell yourself

Make them feel like they want to work for you, even if you end up choosing another candidate. You want them to respect your organization and spread the word about what a great place it is to work.

The job market is competitive and it’s important to make the best use of your time when hiring.  Waiting too long to contact a candidate means that they may be getting wooed by another organization and you are missing the opportunity to get their attention. To ensure you are filling your positions as quickly as possible, get candidates scheduled as soon as possible.  This may mean texting or calling candidates and not waiting for email to be the first method of communication.  

Streamline your applications so that you can get a sense of who your candidates are faster and they have a positive candidate experience.  Of course, constant contact and communication is imperative. The biggest complaint applicants have is that they never hear anything or know what is going on. They often say that they don’t even know if a person saw their resume. Overcommunicate with your top candidates and if there’s a pause, email them or even better, personally call them!

If you’d like more information on talent acquisition strategies, HR processes and best practices, be sure to check out our other blog posts or reach out to us!