How a great hiring process can be a competitive advantage
9 steps to stand-out to the right talent
I originally posted this on Twitter on April 4th 2022. You may see the embedded tweet above, otherwise the thread has also been unrolled.
A great hiring process is a competitive advantage
Here's a 9 step guide to stand-out to the right talent:
Most companies recruit the same way
We've all seen templated job postings & crappy applicant experiences
If you approach recruiting like a sales & marketing funnel, you'll make a better experience for you and potential hires
Let's dig in!
1/ Job Posting Need Copywriting
Great copywriting speaks directly to customers
Do the same to attract the best candidates:
- Position what makes you different
- Grab attention
- Speak to a single person
- Clarity not jargon
Writing job posts in this style makes you think hard about the type of person you want
Not just what's on their resume
Here's an example:
2/ Distribution In The Right Places
The big job boards may get more awareness but they also create a ton of noise
Get your posting seen by the right people
We start slow by establishing a "home" posting, then reference on boards, then direct outreach (if needed)
As a "tech/startup" we always post on Angel as our home/reference post (free listing)
It adds trust and context for the applicant (important to selling you as a great place to work)
*Great place to send referrals
Since, we're 100% remote our first paid listing goes to remote job sites
Remote used to be an advantage for us, but now it's a more common
We've had sales and service job roles perform better on remote boards
For some roles (developers) we need to do some outreach
First outreach step for us is running targeted ads (Linkedin)
Next we go into individual-outreach-mode (Indeed Resume Search)
We've found great candidates by looking for active seekers + specific keywords (just learn to avoid agency profiles)
Pro-tip: We always use our own application forms not the ones built-in the other websites
We can do all our qualification & vetting from a single place
*Important to systemize especially if recruiting isn't your full-time job
3/ Disciplined Qualification
Not all job applicants are a great fit (just like prospects)
Application Form Tips:
- Add job specific open ended questions
- Proof of work URLs (LinkedIn, Portfolio, Github)
*Resumes are great for reading more, but hard to scan through at scale
Here's an example:
Sometimes we'll put "easter eggs" in our job postings so hopefully they mention them in the application
4/ Systemize The Process
Processes = Repeatability
Job Sites > Application Form > Screening Call > Project > Review > Offer
All our hiring managers use the same system
We're not always in hiring-mode, but when we are it's easy to get locked-in
We track stages the project management system used across our company
It's easier for hiring managers to track in the systems they're already living in
Our Kan-ban style project stays open all the time (just easy to get locked-in when in/out of hiring-mode)
5/ Being Human
Job candidates remember how you made them feel
These actions should get a response:
- Well written application
- Screening call
- Completed a project
Our general rule is to match the level of effort of the applicant
After a back and forth conversation/interview don't leave people hanging
Ghosting people is disrespectful
Don't contribute to the problem
6/ Leadership Involvement
Leadership needs get involved
Great candidates want to get a feel for the company aside from what they can read
You're both selling to each other, don't make it feel one-sided
*This is a big life changing commitment, treat it as such
7/ Get Others Involved
A second set of eyes is always helpful
We have scorecards for every hire:
- A culture card
- A role card
- Graded by at least 2 people
*Shout-out to the "Who" book
Here's our culture card:
8/ Stay Open to Getting Lucky
Recognize when you've gotten lucky
It pays to have the awareness to grab the right-fit talent when you see it
A recent candidate that took her shot with us
In the interview she saw a need that wasn't on the job posting
She wrote her own job description & a 30-60-90 day plan
She got a job we didn't even list
9/ Follow Through
Don't stop at the close, it's time to build trust
The first 90 days matter:
- Fulfill the promises you made
- Make them feel at home & part of the team
- Establish routines & rituals
- Check-in make sure you are both aligned
*Real work begins in onboarding
Planning the first 30-60-90 days is work, but worth it
Set expectations early & create a common reference point
It rarely all goes to plan, so be open to changes as they come
Change creates a opportunity to re-align & work together (which is why you're hiring them, right?)
Hiring is super competitive these days
Take hiring processes as seriously as sales funnels
> Copywriting
> Distribution
> Processes
> Onboarding + Delivering on promises
Apply this thinking to your recruiting process & differentiate your company
Get talent that fits!