Roberta Matuson* explains a new approach to recruitment that ensures organisations get the candidates they want in an increasingly competitive jobs market.
In a recent webinar I talked about my friend’s daughter, who up until about a month ago couldn’t buy a job interview if she had Jeff Bezos’ bank account.
Within a week, she had two solid offers and was waiting for a third to arrive in her in-box.
The company that eventually hired her quickly adjusted its offer to better align with the needs of my friend’s daughter.
Smart move, as they had no idea she had me on the sidelines coaching her to consider her other options if they continued to insist she relocate to Los Angeles with one day’s notice.
If you are an employer you should forget everything you think you know about landing your dream candidate on your terms. Those days are over, at least for now.
Good candidates are getting scooped up rapidly, so what can you do?
I’m recommending my clients take a high-touch approach for attracting and engaging candidates these days. I call this concierge hiring.
Your first thought might be: “Who has time for this? Our HR people are overwhelmed as it is.”
This is the exact reason why now’s the time to send recruitment responsibilities back to the line and personalise the hiring process.
Leveraging the power of your team and transforming your employees into brand ambassadors is what’s needed these days to win the hearts and minds of candidates.
Let’s be clear here: People don’t work for organisations, they work for people, which is why a personalised approach to hiring produces a much higher yield in terms of accepted offers than treating people like a number.
Here’s how this approach works.
All employees are involved in this personalised approach to hiring from day one.
During the on-boarding process, they’re given the tools and training needed to support the organisation’s recruiting efforts.
Hiring managers are coached on crafting compelling messages that will capture the attention of their intended audience. Here’s why this step is so important.
Consider what it feels like when an organisation reaches out to you with a generic email asking if you’re interested in applying for a particular position.
If you’re a tech worker or an engineer, you get at least a half dozen of these requests daily, which is why these emails usually go immediately into the trash.
Now imagine if you received a personalised email directly from the hiring manager. The email would go something like this:
“Hey Janice, We haven’t met yet, but I’m hoping we will soon. Your name was given to me by someone who used to work with you.
“I checked out your background on LinkedIn and am impressed by the social media campaign you’ve created for Company Y.
“You look like you’re ready to take on a more senior role, which is why I’m writing to you today.
“Our company is experiencing rapid growth, which is why I need a marketing director who can take us to the next level.
“Let’s schedule a call, so I can explain why I think you’d be the perfect candidate for this job. How’s tomorrow or Thursday look for you?
“Looking forward to our conversation — Joanne, VP of Marketing.”
Who could say no to a request like this?
The concierge approach to hiring requires hiring managers to get back to candidates within 24 hours of each encounter, with a status update.
Many candidates are stunned when this happens, as it’s rare for organisations to respond so rapidly.
Hiring managers remain the point of contact throughout the hiring process. In other words, there is no handoff to HR.
The candidate has direct access to the hiring manager throughout the recruitment process, which helps to solidify relationships right from the start.
Managers are given compensation guidelines and are encouraged to reach out to HR to discuss what’s needed to bring a particular candidate into the organisation.
If your recruiting efforts aren’t yielding the results you’re seeking, then perhaps it’s time to try something new.
Concierge hiring is here to stay and could be the difference between a candidate saying yes to your offer or choosing to go somewhere else.
*Roberta Matuson is President of Matuson Consulting. She can be contacted at [email protected].
This article first appeared at matusonconsulting.com.
