John Kenney, CEO, Cotney Consulting Group
Finding great talent at a time when there is so much tumult in the working world can be exasperating but moving too quickly may be something you come to regret. Instead, move strategically and carefully by identifying the best candidates, what they care about and the best way to recruit them, get them to accept an offer and stay awhile. There are some proven ways to increase the odds of making good quality long-term hires.
Conduct pre-hire assessments to get the most predictive insights and how making changes to your process can save your company money and time.
Take a fresh look at your job descriptions. This can increase the odds of you making those great, long-term hires. The best job descriptions are not those of yesterday. Job roles, too, have changed. Job candidates are looking for diverse, flexible career paths they can participate in creating.
Capture on-the-ground competencies needed to succeed in the role you are hiring for. Team up with the hiring manager, staff and, if possible, an industrial-organizational psychologist. Conduct a job analysis of some of the most critical roles in your company.
Emphasize the ideal competencies for a position as part of the job description. This should take priority over education or years of
experience. Just because a job candidate has experience in a particular field does not necessarily mean they are good at it.
Always use a mobile-first application experience. More than 90 percent of job seekers use their phone to search for a new position, so mobile- first is an absolute must. In addition, candidates are likely to give up if they cannot complete a job application on their smartphone, so it needs to be a friendly experience rather than a frustrating one.
Do not force candidates to re-enter information that is already on their resumes. It is aggravating, to put it mildly. Instead, check to see how much time it takes to fill out the job application.
Always make sure the information you are presenting is accessible for a job seeker to digest quickly. For example, use bullets and subheads and make information easy to scan.
You may want to use short testimonials from other employees sharing their positive experiences at your company. This can help
motivate job seekers to follow through on an application.
Re-evaluate your sourcing pool. So many people through the course of the Coronavirus pandemic have switched gears and are
re-evaluating their career choices. While many were too scared to leave their jobs during the height of the pandemic, they also realized how much they did not love their jobs. As a result, some ended up quitting even without a new job, preferring to freelance until they found the job they wanted.
Finding these new, less traditional job candidates requires more than posting ads on job sites. Most will begin their job hunt on Google, so Google Job Search is a great platform to reach job candidates before moving on to Indeed, Monster or other sites.
Find active and passive job seekers on sites like Reddit by joining in the community conversation.
If seeking candidates right out of college, visit WayUp, a job board for recent graduates. You may also expand your candidate search to college campuses or trade schools. Set up social media with campaigns targeting specific groups of candidates.
As remote work has skyrocketed, your employees know a broader number of job candidates. Use your employees’ connections through a referral program to seek out candidates early in their job search. You may even offer a bonus to employees who refer a winning candidate.
Consider using contract workers or freelancers. While there is pressure to hire quickly, consider changing the job parameters to include contractors or freelancers. You may eventually decide to bring such workers on full-time, so there is less training involved, you will already be acquainted with their work and they will be familiar with your company culture.
Use reliable and valid pre-employment assessments. Screen out poor candidates quickly by using such a process. That way, you are free to focus on the best candidates.
Multi-measure tests provide objective data on the candidate’s on-the-job performance, in addition to seeing what they have on their resume or how they do in an interview. Any applicant who is serious about a job will happily take the employment assessment. Candidates who refuse likely were not that interested.
Assessments can allow candidates to enhance their experience by demonstrating their capabilities. Therefore, tests that take 10 to 30 minutes are viewed as fair and more valuable than shorter tests.
It is a new day, so it is a perfect time to reassess your hiring practices to branch out and find the best candidates possible to fill your vacant or new positions. Be open to new ways of operating so you will not miss out.
John Kenney has over 45 years of experience in the roofing industry. He started his career by working as a roofing apprentice at a family business in the Northeast and worked his way up to operating multiple Top 100 Roofing Contractors. As CEO, John is intimately familiar with all aspects of roofing production, estimating and operations. During his tenure in the industry, John ran business units associated with delivering excellent workmanship and unparalleled customer service while ensuring his company’s
strong net profits before joining Cotney Consulting Group. If you would like any further information on this or another subject, you can contact John at jkenney@cotneyconsulting.com.
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