Similar to a lot of companies, we’ve been doing a lot of hiring at the Haley Marketing Group. Most of it has been for growth, which is exciting! Some of it has been for the employee turnover affecting every company, which is tough.
In this month’s newsletter, we wanted to share our experiences from hiring across different departments and how we were able to overcome the challenges to bring great talent to our team at Haley Marketing.
Treat Your Candidates Like Customers
In hiring for our recruitment marketing department, I fell into the common trap. Candidates should be impressing me. Candidates should be showing the urgency. It’s OK to send a follow-up email in 3-4 days.
Three no-shows for a phone interview later was like a splash of ice cold water to the face. Time to wake up!
As soon as I received a qualified application, I reached out ASAP. I wouldn’t put it off until later in the week. I wouldn’t put it off for a few days. I followed up right away. (I now see why automation is helpful!)
It’s time to flip everything about the recruitment process on its head. With 4 million people leaving their jobs EACH MONTH, all the leverage sits with the candidates.
For years (decades?), it’s been commonplace to expect candidates to do everything in their power to impress the hiring manager. The candidate needs to send the “thank you” note. The candidate needs to respond quickly. The candidate might need to make a sacrifice in schedule or salary to get the job offer.
That is 180 degrees different today.
After experiencing the pain of candidates no-showing and no-calling phone interviews, it was time for me to be more proactive. Send the follow-up email quickly after receiving an application. Send multiple reminders about the phone interview Send the candidate a “thank you” note after the interview for their time and a timeline for next steps.
Did it work? It sure did. Once I changed my process, I had a phone interview lined up 1 day after the initial application and the process accelerated to where I had a hire in a few weeks, overcoming the previous 2 months of frustration.
Follow the Entire Process – Don’t Sacrifice the Important Parts
It’s tempting to want to eliminate parts of your hiring process with the goal of getting talent faster. However, some processes can’t be eliminated. Here’s a perfect example.
We were down to two candidates for one of our internal positions. After a couple of interviews, they were very close. We started the reference check process, and one of the candidates never submitted references.
We asked numerous times, and one response was “I’m making sure to get the right contact info so it’s accurate” but that went from waiting for 3 days to almost 2 weeks. It became self-elimination.
Yes, it’s tempting to get rid of some parts of your hiring process. Some changes are worthwhile – like shortening your initial application process. Other changes can’t happen.
Don’t sacrifice a part of your process that you’re going to regret in the future.
Know What’s Successful in the Job
During my time at Haley Marketing, our digital team has grown from 5 advisors to 20 team members. With that much growth, we start to see which traits and experiences are successful in the job, making it easier to recruit.
One example from our director of digital marketing Brad Bialy focuses on “screening for things you know you like.” What does he mean?
Wegmans is a regional supermarket chain that is known for its customer service. For the past 20+ years, it’s literally ranked as one of the top companies to work for across the country. When you shop at their stores, you know you’re getting a fantastic customer service experience.
What does that mean for Haley Marketing? It means we know a lot about their successful development program and desire for customer service. We know employees at Wegmans typically aren’t doing marketing, but we are confident anyone who has worked there for a long time can be a great marketer in our system.
It’s a perfect marriage of training / traits at a previous job with the values of Haley Marketing. We know the customer service development at Wegmans leads to success among our digital marketing team (and for our clients!)
Internal Referrals – Not in the Way You Think
We have a GREAT referral program at Haley Marketing that rewards our team members for recommending candidates for our open positions. It has worked really well to fill our vacancies quickly with quality talent. (and gives a nice bonus to our current team!)
When we’re hiring for multiple positions, we know what skills and training works for our team but candidates might not always be as sure. Here is a perfect example.
A recent hire on our Client Success team initially applied for a position on our recruitment marketing team. That digital media position really focuses on data and lives daily in analyzing spreadsheets. The application showed experience and a desire to work in customer service.
Seeing that experience and desire, I recommended the applicant for our open Client Success position, which we had been struggling to fill. A few weeks later, we had a happy candidate who was placed in the right position and a happy Client Success team to have another team member!
We Can Help You Get the Candidates
Our recruitment marketing team at Haley Marketing specializes in the four pillars of recruitment marketing – career sites, job advertising, social recruiting, and employer branding. We focus on driving the candidates to your recruiters, and then your team can follow up!
Contact our team today to get started on finding more ROI in your recruitment marketing and driving the right candidates to the right jobs at the right time.
