E-Class #42: How to Recruit Million Dollar People

Checkpoint:

If you haven’t been marketing your business online, you know why you need to start.
You have started to advertise online using simple pay-per-click ads, and may be looking to place banner ads as well.
You are aware of the free opportunities available for promoting your business by sharing your intellectual capital through article writing and blogging.

Spend a little extra time recruiting qualified, quality candidates, and the results will appear in your bottom line.

As you know, your employees are huge assets for your business. You spend time and money training them, developing their skills, and rewarding strong performance. When you have a good team, they help you make a lot of money.

High turnover rates, however, will cost you money. If you have the wrong person in a position, or have a group of employees that aren’t happy, you’ll be caught in an expensive cycle of hiring and training people that won’t stay.

In this E-Class I want to show you how you make sure you stock your team with qualified individuals that will be loyal to and serve your business. People who will make you money.

In this E-Class we will cover:

How to figure out who your dream employee is
How to advertise the job opening you have available
How to screen job applications
How to interview potential candidates
How to conduct reference checks and make job offers

An internal recruitment system is the best way to find and hire candidates that will be the best fit for your company.

Recruitment is complex process that can dramatically impact your business operations. Just like finding and securing the right customers, finding and hiring the right candidates requires pro-active planning and careful evaluation.

If you currently work with a recruiting agency to build to your team, now may be a good time to stop and evaluate the effectiveness of their service. While a recruiting agency can save you the time and hassle of working through the hiring process, it can also cost more money in the long run.

I always recommend creating an internal recruitment system, not because recruiting agencies do a bad job, but because no one knows your business like you do.

An internal recruitment system ensures that the true essence of your business culture is communicated – from advertisement to interview. You also have the opportunity to communicate expectations from the outset, instead of relying on the recruiter to relay this information. The middleman’s thoughts and impressions are eliminated, leaving you to make decisions based on your impression of the candidate and no one else’s.

1. Advertise the job opening with the ideal candidate in mind.

The first step in recruiting candidates is – of course – to let potential candidates know about the opportunity with your company.

But before you pick up the phone to place a classified ad, remember that advertising for potential employees requires just as much consideration and planning as any advertising you would do for your business.

Identify who your ideal candidate is.

On your notepad, write down answers to the following questions. Use your knowledge of the duties involved in the job you are posting, as well as of your existing staff members. You’ll want to make sure the candidate you’re looking for will fit in well with your team.

Who is your ideal candidate?
What are their skills and qualifications?
What is their personality or demeanor?
What are they passionate about?
What are they looking for in a job?

Write a job opportunity advertisement with your ideal candidate in mind.

Once you have a mental picture of your candidate, then you can begin to write an ad that will not only reach them, but also inspire them to contact you and submit an application.

When writing this ad, be as specific as possible and focus on the benefits of the job. Remember that potential candidates screen job postings with an eye for “what’s in it for me.” Tell them exactly that.

Remember that every job posting should:

Be colloquial (written like you talk)
Be specific
Describe benefits
Include skills, qualifications, duties and job title
Be written in the present tense
Have a great headline
Call the reader to action
Be simple – in word choice and sentence structure
Be more exciting than the competition

Here are a few sample job postings:

Are you the Office Manager / Rock Star we need?

About You

You’re fun, friendly and have a keen eye for detail. You’re always two steps ahead of your colleagues, and eager to take on new and exciting challenges.

You’ll be the glue that keeps the marketing team operating in a seamless fashion, responsible for website updates, copywriting, event coordination and client relations. You’ll be punctual, responsible, and well put together.

You’ll ideally have an undergraduate degree in marketing or English, and some previous office experience, but a fast learner with a great attitude will also get our attention.

About Us

We are a collaborate team of young professionals. We offer a competitive salary, great benefits and performance incentives.

Think you fit the bill? Email your resume and cover letter to John Smith at jsmith@email.com by Friday at 4pm.

Do you want to make money playing with computers all day?

About You

You are smart, outgoing, and a wiz when it comes to computer programming. You’re on your friend’s speed dial for computer emergencies, large and small. Helping people understand the complex digital world is your passion. You’ll be our Lead Computer Technician, managing our computer repair counter and five Junior Technicians. You’ll have great people skills, mounds of patience, and enjoy working as part of a dynamic team.

About Us

We operate Anytown’s leading computer repair store, and are known across the region for our customer service. We work hard, play hard, and offer a competitive benefits package to our employees.

Tell us why this job is for you. Email your resume and cover letter to info@computerworld.com by Thursday, September 23.

Both of these job postings speak directly to a very targeted audience. They’re friendly, have a headline that grabs you, and communicate the job requirements in an informal way.

Publish the opportunity in places that your ideal candidate will see it.

Now that you have a great ad to post, you need to decide where you are going to publish it. This depends on the level of the job (junior to management) and on the specific type of candidate you are looking to recruit.

Here are five major places to advertise your opportunity:

Local Employment Center

These are great places to find blue-collar or junior level employees. Candidates register with the center, which keeps their resumes on file. Be cautious with this route – it can produce a wide variety of candidates who are not qualified.

Community Newspaper

This is a great place to post junior to mid-level employment opportunities. You’re looking for basic qualifications from local applicants, perhaps even for part-time positions, with minimal cost.

Regional or City Newspaper

Senior employment opportunities that require specific high-level qualifications are best advertised with a broad scope. This incurs a greater cost, but will return a greater variety of candidates.

Online

This is a cheap way to tap into a massive database of job seekers. Post your ad online on sites like www.craigslist.org, www.monster.com or www.workopolis.com, and watch the resumes come flooding in. A large number of highly qualified job seekers who do not wish to register with a recruitment agency will use these services.

Referrals

The most ideal way to find candidates is through your existing network – including associates, colleagues, employees, friends and family. These candidates come to you already vetted by a trusted source. You may also wish to consider giving your staff an incentive to refer their qualified friends and associates to you.

You should also brainstorm a list of any other niche areas that your target market may look for a job. Consider industry publications, industry associations, small publications, etc. Once you’ve posted your ad, your next step is to manage the inquiries that come flooding in.

2. Use a screening process to evaluate applicants and identify candidates for a first interview.

This is one of the most time-consuming aspects of the recruitment process, so you will need to work out a system to manage the response to your job posting.

A system will also allow you ensure you ask all potential candidates the same questions, and provide them with the same information about the role as well as about your company.

Decide whether all inquiries will be handled by one person, or several.

This will depend on your staff resources and capacity. A system will allow multiple employees to assist in the process.

For example, if your candidates have been instructed to submit their resume and cover letter to you through email, designate a single email address and inbox to receiving and responding. This way you or another staff member will not be bombarded by emails, and can designate an hour of time each day to managing the inquiries. If your candidates are calling in, designate a unique phone number or answering machine to this purpose.

Decide how inquiries will be responded to.

This can be as simple as an email acknowledging receipt of the resume, or specific instructions on an answering machine. Ensure everyone receives the same information, and that you receive the same level of information from all candidates (resume, cover letter, portfolio, references, and other relevant information.).

If you have asked candidates to call you instead of submit their resumes through email, create a standard checklist of questions to ask them, as well as of information to provide them with. You may wish to create a script. Some questions might include:

What kind of job are you looking for?
Why do you think you would be well suited to this position?
Tell me a bit about yourself.
What makes you interested in our company?

Use this opportunity to get a feel for the applicant’s personality, and trust your initial impression. Create a form on which to record this information, and file it with their resume when you receive it.

Devise a process for reviewing resumes or applications.

The easiest and most time efficient way to do this is in a single session, after the stated deadline, and not as you receive them. You may wish to enlist the assistance of a senior colleague to provide a second opinion.

Review the resumes and application materials, and divide the applications into three piles: interview, no interview, and maybe. From here you can begin to call candidates and set up a first interview.

It is also a good idea to be in touch with unsuccessful candidates, and politely let them know that you will not be asking them in for an interview. If you anticipate your response rate will be overwhelming, you may wish to consider stating in your advertisement that only successful applicants will be called.

3. Conduct the first interview and make an initial assessment of the candidates.

The first interview is also a screening interview; your objective is to develop a first impression of the candidate as a person, and to determine if they are qualified for the position. If you feel you have found an ideal candidate, this is also your opportunity to convince them to choose your company over any others they may be considering. Good people don’t stay in the market long.

Decide on the structure of the interview.

You will need to decide on a structure, or system, for the interview process as well. Will you be conducting the first interviews, or will another manager? Will the interviews be conducted one on one, or will several employees participate? If you are replacing an employee, you may want to consider inviting that employee into the interview to provide insight into the role.

Compile all the materials you will need for the interview.

Just as you are asking the potential candidate to come prepared to the interview, you must be as well.

Have an outline prepared of what you would like to cover. Topics include: company history, job description, interview questions, compensation structure, availability, and room for advancement.
Bring two copies of a typed job description. Include all tasks the candidate will be responsible for completing or assisting with.
A company profile or overview document (other marketing collateral will also work here).

Create a list of interview questions.

The questions you decide to ask the candidate are highly specific to your company and the role you are hiring for. Take some time to brainstorm what you really need to know about each person, and what questions you can ask to get that information.

Keep in mind that part of the objective of the first interview is to get a sense of the candidate’s personality. You will want to ask questions about their responses, and begin to establish a real relationship with them.

Here are some starter interview questions to get you going.

Tell me a little bit about your background.
What has been your first impression of our company/product/services?
Tell me about a time when…[insert a likely scenario they will encounter in the position]. How did it make you feel? How did you handle the situation?
What advantages do you feel you have over the other candidates?
What are your strengths? Weaknesses?
Tell me about an achievement you’re proud of.
Why did you leave your last position?
Where do you see yourself in five years?

Remember that you are establishing a relationship with each candidate.

Begin to build a relationship with each applicant. The purpose of the interview is not just to discuss the job description, or for the applicant to get all the interview questions “right.” It is to determine if this person has the right attitude for the job, and whether or not they will fit in with the company’s culture and its employees.

Keep the interview professional, but make sure the applicant is comfortable. Interviews test our ability to perform under pressure, but you will want to gain an understanding of the applicant’s true nature. Remember that even if the applicant is not well suited to the role they have applied for, they may be suited to a future opportunity with the company.

Review your notes and confirm first impressions with others involved in the session.

Make sure you take good notes, or ask a junior member of your team to take notes for you. Also record your impression of the candidate after each interview. You will want to be able to reflect on each interview before inviting the candidate to the next phase of the selection process.

When the first interviews have been completed, review your notes and discuss your first impressions with other employees involved in the process. Then, decide who you would like to invite back for a second interview, and let the unsuccessful candidates know they are not right for this particular role.

4. Invite select candidates back for a second interview, then conduct reference checks on your top two choices.

The second interview is used to confirm your impressions of the applicants you believe are well suited to the job. It can also be used to get more information, or to more closely compare two solid candidates.

Make sure you only offer a second interview to those you are considering hiring. If you are on the fence about a candidate, chances are your instincts are right, and bringing them in for a second interview is a waste of their time and yours.

Call the successful candidates back for a second interview.

When you call a candidate to invite them to come in for a second interview, remain professional and don’t make any allusions to a job offer. If your impression of them changes during the second interview, you do not want to have to go back on something you said. Let them know what you thought of them based on the first interview, and ask if they would be interested in meeting with you a second time.

Give you and the candidate at day or two between interviews to reflect on the first interview, and prepare for the second.

Decide who will be involved in the second interview.

You may wish to change the person or team of people who conducted the first interview. Usually the second interview is conducted with more senior team members at the table.

Create a second list of interview questions.

While the second interview is often less structured than the first – a relationship has already begun to be established – you should still prepare a list of questions for the candidate.

These questions should focus on the specific tasks related to the job, and on providing more information about the culture, systems, and values of the company. You can also use the second interview to ask questions you may not have had the chance to in the first interview.

Include an office or store tour and introduce some of your staff.

Once you have determined that you have found the candidate for the job, take them on a tour of your office or business, and introduce them to your staff members. This is a good way gaining an initial understanding of how the candidate might interact with your existing staff members.

Call the references of your preferred candidate after the second interview.

This is the final – arguably most important – step to make before offering the job to the candidate. You should ask your candidate for at least three employment references, and perhaps one character reference.

Call each reference contact, and explain who you are and why you are calling. Then ask if they have a few moments to answer some questions about the candidate. You will want to find out information about punctuality, professionalism, skills, and their reason for leaving. Cross-reference this information with your interview notes to ensure consistency between the candidate and their reference.

5. Make your ideal candidate an offer!

Once you have completed the reference check and are happy with what you were told about your prospective candidate, you can make them an offer of employment.

Call the candidate personally to offer them the job. Make sure you congratulate them, and express your enthusiasm in welcoming them into your team. You will also need to follow up your conversation with a letter or email that includes the job offer document or contract.

In the case your ideal candidate declines the job offer, you may wish to do a reference check on your second pick candidate and then make them an offer.

Now that you have hired your ideal candidate, use the training system you created to orient them to your company and the duties of the position.

You may wish to revisit the E-Class on staff training and development once you have hired your candidate, and are preparing for their first day or week on the job. You’ll need to decide who will be responsible for their training, and make sure that all the needs of the business are being met while training is happening.

Remember that in most cases (and under most laws) a three-month probationary period is established to make sure that the employee and employer are happy with each other. In this time if for any reason the candidate doesn’t end up being a good fit, or are not happy in the position, either of you may terminate the employment agreement.

Good luck with your recruiting efforts!