What is the secret to finding the right experienced hire?
To start to answer that question, it's critical to think about the right hire.
What is the one thing every "right hire" has in common?
They are human! They want human connection. And human's live to build relationships.
Now add to this that the human has several years of experience. They want human connection that recognizes how they built their skills to contribute and create value.
Let's for a moment peer into the looking glass at the "modern" way of recruiting.
Hiring has become increasingly digitized, with online job postings, video interviews, and automated applicant tracking systems.
While these technological advancements have streamlined the process, it has also created a significant drawback: the lack of human connection.
Job seekers can easily submit applications to numerous positions in a matter of clicks. This convenience can come at the cost of feeling dehumanized and disconnected from the process.
Receiving an automated rejection email can be particularly frustrating for candidates who have spent time and effort crafting their applications, feeling as if they fit the job description perfectly. On the other hand, hiring managers can become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of applications they receive, causing them to prioritize efficiency over human connection.
The lack of human connection can have negative consequences for both job seekers and companies. Candidates may feel undervalued and overlooked, leading to disengagement and dissatisfaction with the company's hiring.
Additionally, companies may miss out on highly qualified candidates who are turned off by the impersonal nature of the recruitment process. In the end, this can result in a workforce that is not fully engaged or productive.
What are the main secrets to bringing humanity back to the process and finding the right experience candidate?
1. Personalize your messaging and speak directly to the candidate.
Realize there is a human being on the receiving end of all communications sent by you. If your communication is not personalized, there is no human connection. If there is no human connection, people will tune out of checkout.
2. Look at resumes for more than seconds because experienced candidates need to know a human looked at their background to determine fit.
Let's face it; many experienced hires are not applying to jobs unless they feel it’s a good fit for their career. If they feel it’s a good fit, then your job description spoke to them, and they applied. Or their friend shared the opening with them. If a computer weeds them out because a hiring manager wasn't up to date on the keywords or lingo for that role, they will get an impersonal letter of rejection.
At that point, the human connection is broken, and the company may have lost out on a candidate that could bring a lot to the table or has lost that candidate for any future positions they could have been invaluable in.
It’s important to not multi-task when you are looking at resumes and don't let a computer make the decisions without testing it to make sure it is calibrated, not weeding out diamonds in the rough.
3. Communicate with the candidate through the entire process, and don't ghost them.
I have heard many hiring managers say they were ghosted by a candidate. Unfortunately, communication works both ways. If you share a timeline regarding the next communication, stick to checking in at that time, you probably won't be ghosted.
I do have to take one soapbox moment on ghosting. I have been ghosted by people who have requested my time and had a deliverable to share something with me as a next step to conclude our communication. Since I have never ghosted a person I made a promise to, it bothers me that this practice is used. Unfortunately, I and others perceive a "ghoster's" brand as someone who hides from the hard discussions or doesn't have respect for other human beings. Of course, I am only speaking about interactions where communication is happening, and there is an outcome that is to come from that communication. Like someone giving you their time and resume to be considered for a role that you posted, reached out to them, or were referred to them.
So, that means keeping in touch regularly until an offer is made or signing the candidate off if they are not the right candidate after all.
At TLR Search, we build human connections and believe each person's (client or candidate) needs, wants, and desires are important. So, we know another possible solution is:
4. Hiring a recruiter.
On a daily basis, we receive communication by candidates thanking us for introducing a them to a role, helping them to land that new career move, or letting them know they didn't get the job and can move on.
As for our clients, we receive communication thanking us for our help and keeping the process moving while landing a candidate they didn't know existed.
It's important to hire a recruiter with a great communication record that creates a human connection.
But the human connection isn't only present by what is said but also by what is done. Recruiters provide numerous benefits to companies beyond improving the candidate experience.
If they are niche recruiters, they have a deep understanding of the job market, enabling them to identify and attract top talent. They know how to create a deep human connection that is mutually beneficial for the company and the candidates by listening and answering questions.
They also help to streamline the hiring process, allowing companies to focus on their core business activities while receiving gentle nudges that it is time to communicate to keep the talent pool engaged.
Recruiters are also skilled at building relationships with candidates and employers, ensuring the best fit for both parties because no one wants to find the relationship they are building is the wrong one.
Exclusive recruiters take the additional time to conduct in-depth interviews, provide feedback and support, and create a personalized experience for job seekers or passive candidates.
While hiring a recruiter does come at a cost, the benefits they bring easily outweigh the initial financial investment. By investing in a recruiter, companies can prioritize human connection in their recruitment process, resulting in a more engaged and productive workforce. After all, relationships are built on earned trust, and human connection helps to build trust and identify risks that may derail the recruitment process before it is too late.
No matter what strategy you take to hire the right experienced hire, just remember that human connection is your secret weapon to attracting and retaining the best candidate that brings the most value to your role.