If you’re gearing up for your first round of recruiting, you might think that the joy of hearing the magic words ‘Yes please’ is a bit of an exaggeration. But if you’ve been around the metaphorical recruitment block a few times, you’ll know how good it feels when you know you’ve found – and successfully hired – the very best person to join your office on the Island.

The recruitment process can be great. It might mean your company is growing and you need to expand your team. It will also mean that your business is generating sufficient revenues for this expansion. At the same time, however, recruitment does cost money and often eats up very significant amounts of time.

For this reason, you need to make sure you do everything in your power to get the best candidates to say Yes to your job offer.

Before assuming that the biggest paycheck is going to encourage candidates to sign up, it’s worth checking out what appeals to candidates today.

Know your competition

You’re probably well aware of what your competition offers in terms of products and services but do you know what they offer their new hires? It’s good to know the salary and additional benefits offered by your competitors but do also look at the office culture and their company values to see how your company square up against them.

Be respectful towards your candidates

A survey on what candidates really want showed that 40% of people felt that being treated with respect and dignity was the biggest factor in their decision to accept a job. This is significantly more than 18% who felt fair compensation was more important. You might be hiring them and you might be their boss but it’s essential that you remember you are hiring a person for their skill set, and they deserve respect. Old-style recruiting tactics such as ‘fear of loss’ aren’t going to work with today’s more savvy candidates.

Treat your interviewees as individuals

This can be hard when you see tens or even hundreds of candidates pass your way but people want to know that you are seeing them as an individual rather than as just another résumé. Whilst you need to have standard questions to ensure that the interview process is the same for each candidate, you should also take the time to ask things that are specific to their career, what motivates them and their goals. Asking these questions enables you to highlight aspects of your opening that will suit them personally.

Match your offer to their needs

It’s not realistic for a candidate to conjure up a list of demands and have you agree to them all. Nevertheless, as we have already noted, candidates aren’t only looking at the salary on offer. If it means your ideal candidate says Yes, it’s worth looking to see if health insurance, courses to expand skills or flexible hours are things that will encourage a strong candidate to accept an offer. Remote work is also high on the list of priorities at the moment, even if it’s just a couple of days a week.

Show them what it’s like working for you

If you know your compensation isn’t going to beat that of the competition, you have to show them the other reasons why accepting your opportunity is the best choice for a candidate.

People need to know that the job, environment and colleagues are going to be the right fit for them. Executives of today don’t have to be shut off in their office handing out orders from on high. Instead, show them your open, honest side. If you have a good feeling about a candidate, don’t rush the interview process. Take them on a tour of the office and introduce them to other team members who are motivated about their work.

Keep all lines of communication open

With so much competition out there, don’t be slow in making an offer. Ask your candidate what the best way to contact them is. It could be a phone call, email or via a platform such as LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Facebook or Slack. They are more likely to reply sooner when you contact them on their preferred method.  And remain in regular contact until and beyond a final decision is made, even if it’s just a quick message asking if they have any further questions.

Consider making your offer in person

One last in-person (or virtual) meeting is perfect for them to ask any final questions or concerns that they may have come up with. It can also give you a chance to introduce them to other senior members and, of course, they will have the chance to understand your enthusiasm in bringing them on board as a valued new member of their team.

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