You probably remember some of your would-be “placements.” Usually those ones hurt the most. Agency recruiters often have to say goodbye to commissions that were already at hand… You know very well that specialists, like our mythical Krzysztof, have a lot to offer and employers themselves do not let them go easily, bidding for raises and promotions. Does the one who gives more always win? See what you can do to improve your offer acceptance rate and not get mad.
Bet on a good candidate 😉
I know this sounds like a tip from an agony aunt, but we often place our hopes on candidates who are “doomed” to fail in their trial. We are looking for tricks on how to sell an offer or we raise the salary beyond the limits of comfort, hoping that we will change the predetermined course of events. Remember that your business is not for everyone, just like a specific position in your company. The fact that the candidate was very nice or that he has a suitable range of competencies may not have any impact on the final result of the recruitment.
The sooner you realize that your organization is not what the candidate is looking for, the less time and energy you will waste.
It seems trivial, but many recruiters have a hard time with it. How to do it?
Find out about your candidate’s motivation and aspirations
I know technocratic IT recruitment, where almost only technology experts talk to the candidate about the results of technical tasks, and HR is on the sidelines. In my opinion, this is a mistake – we ignore the entire spectrum of information and the possibility of building a relationship with the candidate. Therefore, HR should take an active part in the selection process from the very beginning and be a partner of the Hiring Manager (the person commissioning the recruitment). HR potential is wasted when it becomes merely a process administrator from scheduling interviews and managing ATS (recruitment tracking system).
As a partner recruiter, prepare a consistent and repeatable method of measuring motivation and attitudes (e.g., “push vs pull” factors, 3 things the candidate pays attention to when deciding to change jobs, etc.). Consider recruiting through values as long as they actually exist in your company. Collect feedback at the next stages, asking, for example, “what do you think about it so far?”. This will allow you to anticipate and prepare for potential turbulence.
Ask directly about other processes and the risk of a counteroffer.
Let’s tell ourselves right away – counteroffers are the number one enemy of every IT recruiter. A manager who sees his best professional’s termination of the contract will often promise big, profitable changes in a job or company and shower him with gold just to maintain the status quo. The counter-offer thread itself is a topic for a separate entry, which we will definitely deal with in the future :-).
If you work with a good IT recruitment agency, use your headhunter to get additional information and feedback from the candidate.
Candidates often tell us things that they will not tell you (and vice versa;).
Be honest about the company, organizational culture, position and responsibilities.
When we recruit for our IT recruitment company, we try to present the highlights and shadows of our team’s work as truthfully as possible. Thanks to this, we observe candidates’ reactions on an ongoing basis, which allows us to get to know them better. We also build trust when not everything is sprinkled with glitter. According to the rule of reciprocity, we can then observe a greater openness of candidates to sharing their doubts or aspirations. We also avoid situations when a new employee experiences a dissonance in the first weeks of work under the title “expectations vs reality”.
When “selling” the position, refer to the known motivations and aspirations of the candidate. Show points of contact if they exist. Speak the language of his needs and allow him to ask questions or express doubts.
Besides, talk about what is universally important. A model that can help is Mastery, Autonomy, Purpose, which you can hear about in Dan Pink’s TedTalk, which has been watched almost 10 million times.
Build a positive candidate experience
Candidates are often discouraged from job offers by feeling “mistreated” during the selection process or when the process itself takes too long.
You can read about building positive experiences during recruitment in places dedicated to this concept, such as Maja Gojtowska’s blog.
Below are some quick tips from us:
- Treat the candidate subjectively, not objectively. Remember that Java Developer no. 327 is a man with his past, dreams, fears and unique personality.
- Approach the candidate as the host, not the investigative journalist. Imagine that you are having dinner at your home and you invite a very interesting, unfamiliar guest whom you want to meet.
- Create an atmosphere in which the candidate can show his best side. We’ve seen a lot of recruitment interviews aimed towards throwing the candidate of balance.
In our opinion, the very context of a job interview is stressful enough and often prevents candidates from spreading their wings. This leads to an underestimation of the competencies of shy people and promotes extroverts.
- Communicate frequently – take an example from e-commerce communication. Many things can be efficiently automated while keeping a human face.
- Keep your word. If you feel that you are late for an appointment – let the candidate know. If you promise the candidate feedback by Friday and the manager whose decision you are waiting for has sunk into the ground, inform the candidate that you need more time. Do not make the candidate wonder if you remember about him at all.
As you can see, there are many elements beyond the terms of the offer itself that may affect the final decision of the candidate. Remember to build trust from the first contact. It is very difficult to effectively influence the candidate’s decision at the last “bid” stage if we have not accumulated the capital of trust earlier. In addition, treating candidates humanly and building your role as a competent partner for managers will have long-term positive results for your recruiting career. Good luck!