Amy Wrocklage, Executive Director, Transformation Services at Sevenstep
When it comes to sourcing talent, there is no one-size fits all methodology for finding the best talent. However, there are most certainly some guiding principles that companies can keep in mind to build their talent pipeline and enhance the candidate experience.
Here are 4 foundational rules to follow:
1. Be Found. Write your job descriptions with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind to secure higher rankings and views. Google is the largest job board – it’s one of the first places candidates will go to find a job. Make your position easier for them to find with job descriptions that focus on the right key words. You’ll know what these words are when you think like the candidate and identify what key words they would use in their online search. Tip: Consider not using your company’s specific title if it is not a common way to describe this position. Always use the more industry known version and list it multiple times in the job.
2. Be Convenient. The application process needs to be quick, simple, and mobile enabled (86% of active candidates use their smartphones to conduct job searches[1]). If the application process is overly complicated, candidates will move on to another opportunity. Many companies struggle with this simply because they are confusing the application stage with the screening stage and get indulgent asking for too much information. Tip: If your process takes more than 5 minutes to complete, go back and remove any steps that are not critical to the application stage or labor intensive for the candidate to complete.
3. Be Respectful. Timely communication and feedback are important, whether it’s good or bad. Providing a response to the candidate, whether an email or a call, helps protect the candidate relationship. Feedback strategies and overall “touch” level with this information should increase with the complexity/level of the job and the interview round. Candidates want to know where they stand. Being responsive to this paints you as a responsive and thoughtful employer (and the opposite is absolutely true). Tip: Create job groups and clear feedback policies/procedures based on role/level/stage of the candidate to remove subjectivity and make this a consistent HR approach.
4. Be Valuable. Recruiting is an on demand function and talent pipelining is a must. To build your networks and future pipelines, you need to attract the audience. Think about what interests your target candidates. Identify those key topics and publish this to them on a consistent basis. Use a Candidate Relationship Management (CRM) tool to send targeted messages to segmented populations. Tip: Create a balanced portfolio of valuable content that goes well beyond merely publishing your open jobs and also include interesting news about your company, your industry, and market news relating to their role.
Candidates want to work for organizations that they connect with. Establish that connection from the very beginning as they search and find you. Continue to use your empathy and understanding as you model out your application, interview, and feedback process. Put yourself in the candidate’s shoes and view everything you do through their eyes. If you simply put the candidate first, you’ll develop a world-class candidate experience.
(1) Kelton Research
