How to Hire Top Talent

Date Posted: 09/15/2016

Hiring the right staff is vital for any business, so when a vacancy arises, the recruitment process should be a top priority. It’s crucial to attract applicants with a genuine interest in the company, who will bring passion to the workplace as well as relevant skills and experience. This often means recruiting within the same industry, so the reputation of a company in its field and its standing among competitors will determine the appeal of its vacancies and the calibre of its pool of applicants. Vacancies with successful companies at the cutting edge of their field are highly desirable and highly competitive. A company’s profile therefore, goes a long way to determining whether or not it has the power to recruit the best talent. This said, any business is only as good as its staff, and a few simple steps can help maximise the chances of hiring the best talent.

The right advertisement in the right place

Attract the right people for the right positions by a carefully worded advertisement. Be clear about the skills and experience you are looking for but also make sure the job is appealing. The title needs to be crisp and industry relatable, and candidates need to know they will be joining a dynamic company which will provide not only an interesting and demanding job but also the opportunity to advance in their career. Indicate the salary range so you don’t waste anyone’s time.

Think carefully about where to place the advert. Reaching the right demographic is crucial, but you may be constrained by budget. Options range from free listings to dedicated jobs websites, local press, industry press, social media and recruitment companies who can shortlist the right candidate for you saving your time and money in the long run. Add keywords to online adverts to make sure they can be found by as many job seekers searching online as possible. Don’t forget to advertise on your own website. Don’t set too short a deadline and don’t advertise during a festive period when job seekers are preoccupied.

Select carefully

Shortlist carefully and interview at least half a dozen candidates. It’s time consuming but worth it. Applicants are often very different in person to the way they appear on paper, so give the benefit of the doubt at shortlisting stage.

Be incisive in your interviewing and don’t use only standard interview questions – anyone can practise for these. Test candidates on their knowledge of your company and its activities, probe their own experience and skills in depth by asking for examples, and present them with genuine scenarios to see how they would respond to challenging situations.

Include an informal activity in the selection process. For example, ask another colleague to give each applicant a tour of the office, introducing them to staff along the way, and listen carefully to the feedback from your colleagues. For top jobs it might be appropriate to take candidates out to lunch. Outside the formal interview there is an opportunity to learn more about the candidate and see if they are a good fit not only for the job but for the company culture and the existing team. But never use these situations to ask questions that would not be appropriate in a formal interview situation.

Lastly include some kind of test appropriate to the vacancy, for example, drafting a letter, or making a presentation, to test the candidate’s skills, knowledge and professionalism. This will also give an insight into how the candidate would respond to a real working scenario and the way they would represent your company if they were appointed.

Make sure the successful candidate says yes

Don’t forget, the applicant is not the only one under scrutiny. The best candidates can pick and choose from a number of vacancies, so you need to impress shortlisted candidates as much as they need to impress you. Make sure you are polite, professional and appreciative. Most interview panels know early on in an interview whether the candidate is a contender, but, regardless of this, each candidate should be treated the same way and given the same opportunity to shine. Your reputation is in their hands, even if they don’t get the job.

Lastly, if you hire the wrong person, they may stay in the post for years, so if you’re not confident you have found an excellent candidate, talk to Ikon.

Need to give your business a shot in the arm by hiring some of the best talents from the Philippines? You can trust Ikon Solutions to find the best people for you and be certain that every detail of the hiring process is maximized in finding your ideal candidates.

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