Just as August is the top buying month in Real Estate, January is known as the top hiring month. Each New Year prompts new goals and leaders identify gaps in their talent pool that need to be filled to reach those goals.

Unemployment has dropped nationwide. In some locations, like Denver, there’s a talent market where there are not enough skilled workers to fill certain positions. This can make hiring the right people to achieve your goals a daunting experience. You may be asking yourself: “When should I start the process?”, “How do I start?”, “How do I stand out against so many other organizations who are targeting the same candidates?”

Let’s break it down for you. 

1. When should you start? In the recruiting world, it is common to measure placements against a time-to-fill metric. This tracks how long it takes from the day the position is open/candidate attraction begins to the day of an accepted offer. Many factors impact the time-to-fill metric. The recognized average time-to-fill at the beginning of 2019 was 37 days. Despite the fact that many companies have condensed their hiring process, data now shows time-to-fill at 42 days. Why is there an increase? Talent is tight and it’s harder to attract the ideal talent and keep them in your hiring process through to accepted offer. 
   
   Good advice is to start your search early and at least forty-two (42) days before you want your ideal candidate to start. Not only do you need to allow time for them to give notice and finish out their current position, you also need to give time for things that might influence your time-to-fill for the position. 


2. How should you start? You’ve heard this before; your hiring process should start with three things: (1) a compelling candidate attraction campaign, (2) a realistic candidate profile, and (3) a motivating comp package. Having these three components in place positions you to launch an effective hiring campaign.


3. How do you stand out? An effective way to gain advantage against competing organizations that are targeting the same talent is to work with a talent acquisition expert. Hiring today is truly complex. A trusted talent partner who knows you and your goals, and knows how to hire well, is worth the initial investment. They can also boost your hiring brand by sharing positive examples of working with you. Our clients consistently report that they could not have accomplished making the quality hires without us. In the long run they’re saving money because with the right team in place, they’re much more effective.

To accelerate success, define a strong hiring process, work with urgency, and start the process early enough to get the right person hired. The ultimate results will be that you’re looking back having met or exceeded your goals at year end!

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“You made a task that we were dreading a wonderful experience with an outcome that brought us a shining diamond!” 

New Client for JESSI Search in 2019

“100% couldn’t be happier. Exactly the type of company and people I want to work for. A dream come true.” 

Candidate placed for the above company

We all know the reputation of the recruiting industry. Submitting your information to a recruiting agency enters you into the black hole where your application disappears forever. It’s frustrating to apply for a position that you view yourself as ideal for, only to fall into this black hole. It may cause you to quit using this avenue in your job search, sticking to communicating with your network to find your next exciting career opportunity.

I recently had an applicant tell me that he was one of my candidates and I didn’t respond to him. He seemed to think that when he applied for one of our positions, I owed him a personal response. I took a moment to share with him the difference between an applicant and a candidate in our industry. An applicant applies for a position, expressing interest in the role, even if they do not meet the requirements shown for the position. A candidate is someone who has been moved into the process to assess fit and interest on both the hiring and candidate sides.

Both candidates and applicants should get some form of communication. When a position is posted, it may draw 100’s of applicants who don’t fit the requirements. It’s not realistic to send a personal note to each one. An email letting those who didn’t move forward in the interview process know that other applicants who fit the description more closely are being considered is typically generated and sent to them.

Communication with candidates is oftentimes happening via email, phone and text, with updates as the process proceeds. It serves both the hiring team and the candidate well to be in close touch and to understand where the candidate stands throughout the interview and hiring process.

In today’s active talent market, some candidates seem to think it’s all right to move out of the process by no longer responding or communicating; by “ghosting.” Perhaps it seems like this won’t matter with so many opportunities to choose from. In the recruiting industry, we all have stories of how this backfired when a previous candidate came back later with interest in another position, after showing that they don’t demonstrate the strong communication skills that they tout on their resume!

Communication is important on all sides of the equation. It is how trusted relationships are built. Don’t take yourself out of the running for an opportunity because you’ve broken trust with someone in your network who may influence future hiring for a position you covet! Just as you might think you’re owed a response when you invest your time in applying for a position, as you get the opportunity to enter the interview process, consider what you might owe those who are investing their time with you!

“You cannot antagonize and influence at the same time.” ~J.S. Knox

If you are hiring, the news right now might seem less than encouraging! Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. Job Openings Outnumber Unemployed by Widest Gap Ever: http://bit.ly/job-openings-outnumber-unemployed. That means the person you want to hire most likely is currently working for someone else. If you are thinking like many other companies, you might feel the need to throw more money at prospective employees, as validated by the Institute of Supply Management’s findings in May, 2019: http://bit.ly/filling-jobs. What are your options to avoid elevating salaries solely to attract candidates? First, recognize that hiring is more difficult than in years past and it’s also more complex. That means you need an effective plan that will help you identify the right talent attributes to gain the results you’re looking for, enable you to access the right candidates, and quickly and efficiently navigate prospective hires through your hiring process. 

The best way to ensure you are targeting the right candidates that possess the right set of competencies for the role and the culture of your organization is to benchmark the position.  Always solicit feedback from your team; benchmarking is an effective way to do so. 

These days, it’s not a candidate waiting for a call but more often, it’s a hiring manager waiting for a candidate response! Accessing the right candidates takes more skill and know how in today’s talent market. Make sure you’re using multiple avenues to reach your targeted candidates, and when you do get a response, respond quickly to keep the candidate engaged with your opportunity.

Urgency is important but don’t move so quickly that you short-change your interview process. Missing out on the person who you thought was the perfect candidate is disappointing. However, hiring the wrong person because you skipped a key step or two in your process in the rush to hire is both disappointing and costly. Stick to your plan while executing it efficiently and effectively. In February, the Wall Street Journal quoted an Indeed study that reported candidates are put off by having to clear too many hurdles. Moreover, after an offer is extended, candidates also report that delays in the process are an important factor in determining whether they will accept them.

There are talent acquisition experts who can help in each phase of the hiring process. If you’re not ready to hire a firm to recruit for you, at least engage a talent expert to help you identify the right steps if you are experiencing results that are less than optimal. 

JESSI Search, Inc. is recognized as being experts in talent acquisition. We welcome your questions and comments and are happy to help you get the hiring results you’re seeking.

“It’s often hard to just throw money at a problem when you don’t really know what the problem is.”  ~Megan Rapinoe

Recruiting is changing to meet market conditions. New ways of accessing viable talent are popping up because in today’s market conditions it’s mandatory to engage candidates quickly. A recent blog post from Talentify spoke of the “Magic Window” and the power of the first 72 hours. This refers to the window of time you should respond to candidates of interest if you want to engage them in your opportunity.

Everyone is busy and inboxes, voicemail and text messages fill up fast. If you’re trying to hire the right person, though, this isn’t an excuse you want to use for not responding. Not communicating is communicating something to a candidate. It’s communicating disinterest in having them join your team. It is also an indicator of the company culture and how people do or do not communicate.

If you have a hiring need and you’re serious about getting the best candidate onboard, managing the hiring process should be a top priority for you. A few of the things you should be prepared to do, include:

• Define your hiring process, making sure you have the right number of steps and people involved to make a solid decision.
• Keep your calendar flexible enough to schedule interviews quickly when you identify a potential candidate and make sure that others involved in the process do as well. Remember the Magic Window of 72 hours!
• In-between your interview steps, keep those candidates who have the potential to get an offer warm. You do this by keeping them informed of the steps in your process, how long it should take between each step and other relevant information about why things aren’t progressing quickly.
• While working with urgency, avoid impulsive offers just to make a hire. Work your process thoroughly. Team hiring using a scorecard is an effective approach. Including an assessment in your process helps you to validate the interview and identify unknowns, helping ensure that you make an informed decision.

If you don’t have the time or expertise to manage the process well, you should consider partnering with a talent expert. Getting the right people on your team will pay off in the end.

“Working with the JESSI Search team was great. I especially appreciated the very consistent communication.” ~ Feedback from a Regional Sales Manager candidate placed on one of our client’s teams