Good Recruiters Recruit - Better Than Great Recruiters Prepare Candidates

Even with Research, Recruiting, Sourcing, Networking, Identifying Passive Candidates and Evaluation - It All Can Be For Naught..

No Matter What the Scenario, Recruiters Need to Prepare their Candidates for the Interview Process.

Identifying passive candidates, sourcing, networking, recruiting, evaluating and presenting with knowledge are things  great recruiters can do in their sleep - but preparing a candidate for the recruiting process can be a whole different story.

As I have stated over and over again; good recruiters fill the pipeline of candidates with ease but the job really doesn't stop there.  As a passionate professional in recruiting and passive executive research, I cannot stress enough the importance of preparing a candidate for the interview process.

You would think that when you are recruiting best-of-breed talent you wouldn't have to prepare them for the interview process - right?  Well, let me tell you, beyond contrary belief this is not the case.  Believe it or not it isn't a fact that every candidate we find knows how to interview or prepare for the process.  All your hard work can be gone in a moment if your candidate walks into the interview with an outfit only fit to be worn by Lady Gaga herself.   Although she is an incredibly talented artist and fashion guru, wish I had half of what she has, her attire wouldn't quite be the fit for most of corporate America.  Having said this, my disclaimer to my fellow recruiting professionals is to prepare your candidates (whether you think they need it or not) with any and all the information you have regarding things such as company culture and what is expected of potential employees.  This is part of the process that is most often neglected or we just assume candidates know on their own.  Perhaps they do but why leave it up to chance.

Tips for preparing candidates for the interview.

1. Discuss the value of dressing for success.   This has been known to be a very sensitive subject with candidates - so tread lightly and use those personal skills you have developed throughout your years of recruiting.

2. Educate the candidate, discuss the corporate culture, the company,  the process, the biography of the hiring manager and why the position is open.

3. Explain the role and what is expected (an insider knowledge is always good).

4. Discuss with them potential questions to ask regarding the position.

5. Help them sell themselves.   Provide them with hot buttons that are relevant to the hiring managers expectations.

6. Advise them to be honest about their experiences and what they are interested in doing short and long-term.

7. Be sure to tell them to follow-up with a thank you to all they interviewed with.

These are just a few very basic things that I have seen get overlooked by recruiters because they are under the assumption everyone knows how to interview.  The fact is, professionals who have been in a particular position for any lengthy time period has more than likely no idea what is expected of them in today's interviewing environment.

Recruiters, yes you are trained on how to recruit.   But success also rests on completing and filling the assignment. I believe that preparing candidates for the interview is an important part of the process as you continue finding, recruiting, networking, sourcing the best of breed talent for your clients each and every time.

Enjoy the holiday weekend and thanks for visiting us at http://www.sgatalent.com

Additional Expert Advice:

http://www.money-zine.com/   Preparing For The Job Interview

Ten Tips on Preparing For a Job Interview

Executive Recruiting Trends

The Importance of Human Touch and Pipeline Development are Center Stage for 2011's Executive Recruiting Trends

The Top 5  SGA has Heard Lately………

#1 In-sourcing vs. RPO:

This trend is toward selective, not full, recruitment process outsourcing. We will see outsourcing occur more often in the recruitment of high-volume, repetitive roles, and for the function of candidate sourcing only. There will be more RPO growth in the U.S. than Canada; more Canadian markets are focused on building internally. More executive recruitment functions are moving in-house, which is reflective of a growing transparency in the market. Increasingly, candidates can go online and see for themselves who holds which recruiting or leadership positions at a company, for example, rather than being forced to stay in the dark or play the guessing game to get in contact with the correct person.

#2 Talent Pipelining:

The importance of building a talent pipeline, as it helps employers get more return out of their recruitment efforts using the fewest resources, build a stronger employment brand, and create better relationships with candidates. Talent pipelining needs to be built into the recruitment process for key roles, as the push of relevant content and information to “nurtured” candidates helps build a company’s employment brand and increase passive candidates’ engagement and trust.

#3 Human Touch is Needed:

A poor or lengthy recruiting process can really hurt your organization’s chances of bringing the best talent onto your team. Just as candidates must sell themselves to you, you must sell your company to candidates. What’s your employment value proposition; how are you attracting, engaging, and retaining quality talent?

Begin to create a more candidate-centric recruitment process by adding more of a “human touch” to your process. Communicate with candidates when at all possible, and let them know where they stand as the process moves from phase to phase.  View all candidates as a customer or potential future customer, client or employee.

#4 Social Media for Recruitment:

Social media: It can be really overwhelming. Most of us are familiar with the major social media platforms — and they are playing an increasing role in recruitment as companies realize they must diversify their recruitment efforts to stay on top. Mobile technology is emerging as a recruitment channel, as companies are also realizing the power of texting and mobile apps for recruitment. Even location-based social networking sites like Foursquare have growing possibilities for businesses and recruitment. Tablets like the iPad are also becoming more popular for work use as these devices increase the business applications offered, and companies are beginning to examine the power of tablet applications to help strengthen their employment brand and company profile.

Video interviewing is a trend that more and more businesses (and candidates) are starting to pick up on, and platforms like Skype, the largest network on the Internet, are also becoming more popular for use in interviews or for virtual meetings.

Using these mediums can be powerful — but the content you put out and the messages you are sending to candidates and employees must be relevant.

#5 The Demand for Experienced Recruiters:

Recruiters today are being asked to do more with less, making it increasingly difficult for them to be successful. The demand for experienced recruiters is high — and the recruiter of yesterday has changed to reflect a demand for those who have an in-depth knowledge of the company for which they’re recruiting.

What are you hearing?