Recruiting for Ultimate Success

Hello,

The aim of this blog post is not to offer an exhaustive list of all that goes into recruiting and the nuances involved there within. Yet most hiring managers I’ve worked with have questions about these best practices, which is my primary focus in this hand-dandy, go-to guide. And while it’s centered around an audience of small to medium social enterprises and nonprofits, much of this is applicable to any org size, industry or role.

All research and advice included here are either from my seasoned experience, the linked source or from Laszlo Brock’s book Work Rules! -- which I highly recommend reading.

And if you’d like assistance with your recruiting efforts and/or lack recruiting bandwidth -- you know who to call! My rates equate ~5% of annual first year salary vs. the 20% required by staffing firms. And since I’m not trying to fill 15+ positions at once, I can take the time to become truly calibrated to your ideal candidate.

Let us begin by me expressing sincere appreciation for the time you are taking to read this robust yet somewhat lengthy guide called:

The Science of Recruiting

GENERAL BEST PRACTICE

• Clearly define your timeline, include it in the job posting and be sure to check in and track your progress. 

• First and foremost, start early so you can improve the chances of including all stakeholders and finding the right candidate. If your process must be rushed, go full-throttle on your outreach efforts.

• There should be at least two assessors at each stage of the interview process and the hiring manager should only be included during the final round of interviews and/or making the decision on whom to hire from the final candidates. So that includes no screening of resumes or initial interviews.

• Also include an assessment by a more neutral third party such as a team member that doesn’t overlap with the position, HR manager or recruiter.  

• Find a substantive way to communicate employee benefits, perks and culture to potential candidates. This can be a simple splash page on the org website or detailed info on the job posting itself. 

• At the very least, include detailed comp info so as to work towards systemic equity at your organization.

• Interviewee experience matters so much! For example, the candidates you reject could be your amongst your top referrers one day.

  • All candidate correspondence should communicate mutual enthusiasm and detailed information around meeting logistics (including interviewer profiles, focus of each meeting and dress code).

  • Let candidates (who have interviewed) know if their status has changed within 3 days of said change.

PREDICTING PERFORMANCE ON THE JOB

• The strongest single indicator of performance on the job is a work sample test (29%) but the best combination of indicators are actually cognitive ability (26%) and conscientiousness aka integrity (10%) for a total of 36%.

• Re: integrity -- keep notice of and assess the candidate's ability to take the initiative, curiosity, examples of following through even if conditions are complex. More and more, organizations are filtering for candidates that are able to overcome adversity, whether personal or professional. Makes a ton of sense.

• And structured interviews are tied with cognitive ability (26%) and are perceived by all participants as the most fair. So be sure to ask all questions in the same order and allot the same amount of time. Thinking big picture, all candidates should have the same experience throughout. 

• Years of experience only explains 3% of work performance. THREE PERCENT! 

• Therefore, the recommendation is to test for cognitive ability and integrity during the initial interview, for behavior and culture add during the onsite, followed by an opportunity for top candidates to complete a test/mock project.

• If asynchronous: review tests/mock projects with candidates in real time so as to provide everyone with a chance to ask clarifying questions. And provide each candidate with the same number of days to complete it.

  • Pro tip: make a lasting impression with final candidates by compensating them for this time.

WHEN SOURCING

• Job postings = the ability for awesome candidates to self-select. Become excruciatingly specific.

  • Every detail matters, so ask multiple stake holders for input. For an expert outside opinion, invite a recruiter as co-editor.

• Identify your Outreach Committee and have a designated organizer to ensure each member does their self-selected outreach. Unless there's someone to manage this committee, it tends to fall flat.

  • Consider offering both an Employee and Network Bonus to anyone who refers a candidate that you hire.

• In addition (and even more so) utilize different online groups, listservs, and social media to do the outreach that job boards rarely do.

• Coordinate with other similar orgs to generate some press.

• Last but not least, push back on job boards that generate few or no viable candidates. Many of their algorithms are not geared towards your success. Ask for refunds or credits for future use and they will typically give them.

ON SOURCING PASSIVE CANDIDATES

• Relationship recruiting involves continual communication and relationship building with your ideal passive candidates, in the hopes that one day the stars will align with an ideal opportunity-candidate fit!

• LinkedIn Recruiter now offers an option for a monthly option ($120) with a fairly robust search engine that allows one to quickly pair down a list a manageable list of potential candidates. If there’s an individual with a particularly relevant background, you also have the option to view similar profiles.

• For those that aren’t interested, but offer to forward the opportunity, include them in the offer for a referral bonus.

• Of course LinkedIn isn’t the only means for sourcing or contacting candidates. Feel free to call them at work or write a work related email address.

WHEN INTERVIEWING

• Whenever possible, do up to 3 interviews each day over 2-3 days to ensure optimal calibration.

• During the interview process, interviewers should refrain from sharing feedback with each other to avoid influencing individual ratings

• Create a scorecard template for each interviewee and urge interviewers to complete it as soon as possible.

FINAL STEPS/MAKING THE DECISION

• For organizations that serve the community, considering having a constituent interview your final candidate.

• The recruiter/facilitator will organize the data from all scorecards (or using an ATS, inquire for recommendations) while organizing an opportunity to turns discuss candidate evaluations. 

• Give the recruiter/facilitator time to ask digging questions to ascertain the best candidate. 

REFERENCES

• Since there’s a 7% correlation between references checked and future job performance, why not trade these complex labor legalities for a post hire ‘development check’ where a neutral third party can interview references on how best to set up this new team member for success.

• California’s Ban-the-Box law prohibits inquiries about criminal history until a conditional job offer has been made and is applicable to organizations with 5+ employees.

  • Read more here.

• If desired, it could be useful to use a California-specific application that includes, at minimum, a basic waiver that allows the employer to check past employment and education. But be sure to communicate to candidates you know these vendors can often make mistakes and to immediately reach out if they notice errors in their background check.

NOTIFYING PASS CANDIDATES

• Give candidates that have interviewed via phone and/or onsite an opportunity to ask questions and/or solicit feedback.

  • If you’re open to offering feedback to interviewing candidates. Here are some aspects to consider if you do.

  • If not opening the door for feedback inquiries, be thoughtful in your correspondence.

    • Potential copy for you: Thank you for submitting your resume to _____ and for your patience. I'm sorry, but I/we are unable to offer you a further interview for this position. We received XX applications, and are extremely grateful that so many talented people, including you, are interested in our work. These numbers also make for many very difficult decisions. Our challenge isn't one of evaluating good people, but one of selecting a single person to join our team - which means we we must turn away many impressive and qualified people….

• When recruiting for nonprofits, I’ve routinely been asked by pass candidates for opportunities to still stay engaged through volunteer opportunities. Consider what your preferences are so you include this in your pass notification.

CLOSING AN OFFER

• Briefly role play or map out the call with a colleague or recruiter. 

• Give the candidate a timeframe to decide — at least 48 hours.

• If unable to meet the typical market share, there are numerous other ways to show care for employees such as telecommuting, profit sharing and implementing staff’s favorite employee programs.. Read this article by yours truly for a ton of ideas!