The world is too small and choices too many to treat candidates poorly. Remember, even if you reject this candidate, they may still be in a position someday to be your customer. Act accordingly.
When did the recruitment and hiring process become so contentious? How did it become an 'us vs them' scenario? We make candidates jump through all of these hoops, we treat them as faceless sets of skills and then when we finally hire one of them? We're disappointed that the new employee isn't 'on fire' for our brand! Or worse, they leave within 12 months.
Here's the secret to recruiting and hiring the best candidates: Marketing. No, not "well, I put an ad on Linked In" kind of marketing. You have to sell the candidate on the job, the company and the vision or you'll never end up with the candidate you want or the energy you're looking for.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
I once sat in an interview where, in the course of conversation, the interviewer discovered my wife is a pharmacist. At this point, he throws his feet up on the desk and says "so, you'll just come in here, do the bare minimum and ride on your wife's coat tails, right?" I was livid. And, unfortunately, I let him know. Not the best response, but the crazy thing is I was offered the job. Without hesitation, I turned it down. I gets better. I was also a customer of his business.
We spend so much energy in marketing to make sure the customer experience is mapped out correctly. We create mission statements, do training, coach people on how to handle situations. Then we throw that all out the window when it comes to recruiting. The people you're recruiting could very well be customers today or tomorrow.
All Aboard
First days are special. My Facebook feed has been exploding with 'back to school' photos and stories. The kids, parents and even most teachers are excited! 'First day' with a new job is laden with nerves, but also excitement. Those first days will either confirm we made the right decision, or cause us some concern. One job I started, I showed up to my desk and it's full of junk. The drawers are full of junk. And there's no chair. I was told "oh, go look around for one...I'm sure you'll find one." The honeymoon phase is supposed to last a little longer than an hour. I'm not saying to give the new hire a ticker tape parade, however, showing them you're excited they are on board will lead to them being excited.
Buy them coffee. Tell them 'I'm personally excited you're here!' We can't expect candidates to flip a switch from us treating them like they are on trial to all the sudden they should love everything about us and our company.
Stupid Questions, Stupid Answers
If you're still asking people about their 'greatest weakness' please stop. Today. Immediately. And, if you continue to ask that question, you have no right to complain that candidates say their weakness is 'they work too hard.' Stupid questions lead to stupid answers. If you aren't getting information from the candidates that you want or need...it's on you. It's like selling, it's not on the prospect to give you all the information you want. It's on you the sales person to ask the right questions to lead the prospect in a certain direction. If you don't get the sell? It's not the prospect's fault for not asking you about certain features and functions. It's on you the sales person.
We aren't doing candidates a 'favor' by considering them. It's a symbiotic relationship. They will help you and you will help them. Treat them that way from the beginning and when you hire a candidate that you treated with respect, on-boarded with excitement and had thoughtful conversations with during the process? You'll have an employee ready to dig in and contribute on day 1.
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