Welcome to a Candidate Driven Market
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Things have turned around, and we are facing a candidate market again. Here are 5 recommendations fresh from the oven in case you are looking to hire this 2015:
1. Make sure you are ready to make an offer
This sounds a bit forward but the reality is that you will lose a caliber candidate if you’re not quite ready to recruit. Have you blocked time in your diary for first and second interviews AND do you have sign off? If the answer is no, then prepare to have to repeat the process and lose talent to other employers. Be flexible and consider the candidates situation when organizing interview times. Once you start interviewing you must be ready to offer quickly if the need arises and you may have to negotiate. This is not a negative, it’s a candidate driven market!
2. Be prepared to compromise
There is a skill shortage. You may not get every desirable skill in one person. Consider what is important and be open to transferable skill sets between industries. If you are looking for “perfect” you may end up with a headcount gap for quite some time!
3. You don’t always need a comparison
Frequently we have clients who have met their ideal candidate but are wary of making a decision without having interviewed comparisons. In a market where candidates have several options they won’t wait for you to dither. If they are right, snap them up quickly!
4. Trust your recruiter
If you have chosen an agency to shortlist for you, trust them to do their job. Do not stockpile resumes and if you are told your favorite candidate has an offer on the table from another employer, the chances are this is NOT a sales trick. A quality recruitment consultant will be working very hard for both candidate and client. The client that works with them at the pace of the market will result in hiring the best caliber.
5. Be prepared to sell yourself and your business
First impressions count. Ensure the candidate has the best experience when attending interviews with you and your business. One candidate may be attending several interviews at any one time and if you appear chaotic, disinterested or cold when it comes to you offering them a role and the interviewer that sold the vision, guess what? You lose!