My father continues to attest the little things get you ahead in life. You might say there are two kinds of people, those who pay attention to the little things and doing them well and those who believe you get ahead in life by cutting corners. I’m a believer that cutting corners catches up with you in the long run. And that the extra effort pays off when doing something completely and well.

When partnering with our clients to secure the best hire, some little things we discuss include:

•  Investing the time to uncover and define what makes your organization unique and great, allowing you to approach the candidate market with your best attraction campaign.
• Involving multiple people in the interview cycle so that you gain different perspectives and the candidate gets the opportunity to have a more complete perspective of your organization.
• Using an assessment tool as part of your search process.
• Keeping the candidate engaged, what we call “warm” in our industry, during the entire process. This includes initial communications through the selected candidate’s start date.
• Ensuring an on-boarding plan is in place. More of our candidates are asking about prospective employers’ on-boarding process when considering joining their organization.

When coaching a candidate, we identify the little things that can set them apart. Some of these include:

• Developing a brief statement describing their attributes and experience so they can share it regularly with individuals who may be able to help network them into companies that fit their career goals.
• Networking with individuals who can introduce them to the hiring manager or HR leaders. This helps move your information to the top of the stack!
• Making sure there is consistent communication with individuals they’ve engaged with during their search process. Candidates who are lax staying in touch send the message that they have weak interest. I’ve said to candidates before that I didn’t think they were interested in an opportunity we discussed because they didn’t stay in touch with me.
• Tracking their entire search campaign to keep on target.

These little things often make the difference between securing the best hire and getting the offer for your dream job.