How to Shape How Your Company

Recruits and Hires

The value of any Recruiter lies in his or her ability to find talent and help the hiring manager evaluate if the candidate is a fit for the role and company.

Here are seven best practices to follow to shape how your company recruits and hires.

Master these practices and hiring teams and candidates are gonna love working with you!

Show Your Feathers

For a love job connection to exist, both parties have to be attracted to each other.

The Recruiter’s job is to attract the right candidates and make them want to begin the courtship recruiting process with your company.

This isn’t the time to be shy. Show your feathers (boast).

On your Careers page, share what problem your company solves, your company’s culture, and the work environment.

Examples: Wistia & Mindvalley

Include case studies of your work with clients. Share your product or service roadmap...brag about the challenging work they’ll get to be a part of.

Example: Stripe

Have a company yearbook...give people a glimpse of who they’ll be working with.

(doesn’t have to be everyone, but include a variety of people and roles)

Place emphasis on your employee’s experience and why it’s rewarding to work with them.

Example: Aha!

Highlight meaningful perks and benefits.

(don’t promote stuff most established companies offer - competitive salary, time off, health insurance - unless there’s something meaningful

about the benefit)

Example: Fog Creek

Most companies overlook their Careers Page as the opportunity it is to connect with candidates and make a good first impression.

So you’ve showed them what your company is about. What about the role?

Do Your Research

Attracting talented people starts with communicating that there is meaningful work to

be done.

Hold a kickoff meeting with the Hiring Manager...

1. Write the job description2. Design the candidate scorecard3. Establish the interview plan

Don’t open role until everything is done.

In order to write a job description, spend time researching the role. When you understand the role, it’s easier to find the right person.

1

Job Description

The problem with most job descriptions is they are created by the hiring manager, whose perception/understanding may not reflect the reality of the role.

To prevent creating an inaccurate job description, interview existing employees who are currently in the role, and...

...speak with someone outside the company who currently has (or has held) the role.

Conduct a DILO Interview (Day in the Life Of). Have the person describe a typical workday.

Ask interviewees to walk you through their day yesterday. Listen and ask clarification questions. Take notes of your observations.

Listen closely to what they say, down to the exact words and phrasing.

During these DILO Interviews, note roles the position interacts with from other departments. Interview those positions for additional insights about the role.

The insights from all these interviews become your Recruiting Narrative, the 3-5 deliverables expected in the position.

Interview the hiring manager for his/her perspective. The manager will know the long term goals for the role.

You now have a complete picture of the role.

Design the Candidate Scorecard.

2

Candidate Scorecard

The Candidate Scorecard helps the interview team evaluate whether or not the candidate in front of them can do the job.

It also gets the interview team to evaluate every candidate against the same same set of standards...

...and thus speeding up the recruiting process.

Top candidates gets scooped quickly; don’t miss out because your process is slow.

Designing a Candidate Scorecard...

Evaluation of “The Job Essentials”

● Key deliverables / Recruiting Narrative● Long-term projects/goals● Tools/programs/techniques● Essential experience ● Comparable job titles● Comparable portfolio work

(skills, traits, and attributes that will make someone successful in the role)

Evaluation of “The Icing”

● Character traits● Work style● Career desire● Soft skills

(refer to your DILO Interviews)

Example: accolo

Click to download a pre-formatted Candidate Scorecard.

Establish the Interview Plan.

3

Interview Plan

The interview plan outlines...

What you’re testing When to test it Who should test it

The items from the Candidate Scorecard (experience and technical abilities).

Culture fit.

Pick someone who is great at the skills or traits you’re assessing.

Early interviews: Screen for deal-breakers that are easy to “check the box on” and key - but easy - skills you can test for in a take-home exercise.

Later interviews: Test for things that require speaking to someone in person to understand fully.

Now you’re ready to find talent. Where?

Be The Flame

First, create a compelling job ad to promote your open position.

Job Description ≠ Job Ad(i.e., don’t use the job description as the job ad)

THE ANATOMY OF AN EFFECTIVE JOB AD

�

Remove any “gender-coded” language from your ad that may discourage someone from applying.

Job posting done. Let’s find some candidates.

Your search to find candidates will likely come from these mediums: (1) your network; (2) job boards; and (3) online searches.

Your network can be a great source of candidates. How do you build one if yours isn’t large and/or varied? Be the flame.

1

Your Network

Concept borrowed from a dating coach...

The Flame: Someone who creates a lifestyle that brings people into their world.

To become The Flame, be the “social hub” or befriend people that are the “hub.”

The “hub” is someone who always brings new people into their life because they gain energy from meeting new people and connecting them together.

Host things people want to attend, invite your interesting connections, request they bring interesting friends, and connect people there.

Regularly attend events to make new connections.

Common advice is to attend specialized meetups and events (e.g., a Meetup for Product Managers, Ruby programmers, illustrators, etc.)...

...yes, and attend events that will attract a variety of people/specialties.

Ways to support your network: connect people; support those you meet with resources or a kind word/check in; and promote their work to your network.

Your giving and goodwill establishes you as The Flame (“she knows everyone”) and you’ll attract more awesome people into your life.

Note their specialties and locations. When you have a need, ask:

“Who do you know would be well-suited to this, and interested in it, but may be too shy to apply?”

Know your company’s future goals. Discover future potential talent needs early, giving you a head-start on finding talent.

Building a network takes time and effort. Learn to use job boards and online searches effectively.

Create a sourcing strategy to find candidates.

2

Job Boards

Places to post and promote your job include...

Traditional job boards

Sites that serve underrepresented

groupsSpecialized job boards

Fan / portfolio sites Social media

Places to search for candidates include...

3

Online Searches

Companies with strong people in that

area

Master Gary Vaynerchuk’s advice for finding candidates online.

If there’s a talent deficit in your city, consider having a distributed team. These companies do. (click logo for their lessons learned)

So potential candidates are interested in your open position. Now what?

Let Them Shine

Let the candidate and interview team shine throughout the recruiting process.

Let the Interviewer shine

Help them prepare good questions

Train them how to listen and probe for

specificity

Model how to value the candidate’s time

Teach them how to evaluate based on

facts: factualize their feelings

Let the Candidate shine

Make recruiting an act of qualification, not an act of disqualification.

Teach candidates how to prepare a winning application:

“[Samantha] Bee also pointed to Miller's willingness to help new writers structure their scripts correctly as a particularly novel way to help broaden their search. This was key, because an amateurish format can sink a script that is otherwise excellent.

‘Jo put together a packet that gave everybody the fundamentals of just how the script should look,’ Bee explained. ‘Regardless of your level of experience, you could [still] turn in a script that was polished-looking, that could be seen on the merits of the writing.’"

Samantha Bee is the only woman with a late-night show. Here’s how she plans to make it count.

Give candidates more opportunities to show what makes them an asset, like a small assignment that shows their ability to do the actual job...

...during the on-site interview, have the candidate explain their process for completing the assignment, including why certain decisions were made.

Ditch the brain teasers during interviews:

"They don't predict anything. They serve primarily to make the interviewer feel smart." ~Laszlo Bock

Remove unknowns about interview day. Package it into an Interview Guide:

What’s the agenda? How long will the

interview last?

What’s the dress code?

Who will interview them?

Parking situation: garage, visitor

parking only, cost?

Let the Candidate shine...their potential:

Ask about what they’re excited about and look for potential for people to do more than exactly what

their resume says.

Once the candidate has been interviewed, it’s time for the interviewers to evaluate her/him.

Be Brave

Thanks to the Candidate Scorecard, you have a clear way to evaluate the candidate.

The Scorecard has a note-taking section, where the interviewers can record what led them to score the candidate for a given item.

The Candidate Scorecard is the antidote to interviewers rejecting candidates based on culture fit or their “gut feeling.”

It’s best to have someone outside the position’s department interview for culture fit.

If an interviewer uses culture fit as the reason for rejection, have them examine their real reasons why they don’t want to hire someone.

For culture fit rejections, question...

1. if your company culture has been explicitly communicated?

2. if it lines up with how existing employees describe the company culture?

Here are some good culture fit questions...

In your current role, what do you feel is your biggest waste of time, and why?

Tell me of a time you received feedback about your work that was difficult to hear. How did you react? Did you change anything as a result?

What are some of the things you’ve done in your current role that you’re proudest of?

Think of a time your team had to adapt to a big unforeseen change. Where did your team struggle? Where did you struggle? How did you adjust?

Why did you make that decision? What would you have done differently?

You’ll need courage to speak up and uphold standards for how recruiting and interviewing work at your company. You’ll also be teaching your interviewers how to be brave...

...train them how to leave nothing unsaid at the end of the interview, to never leave wondering what a candidate meant by something.

Know how to reject candidates with specific, actionable, and helpful feedback...without putting the company at risk.

Each interview is an opportunity to evaluate and improve your Recruiting process. How do you identify what areas need improvement?

Check-In &

Tune-Up

The Recruiter can design a great candidate experience.

Sites like Glassdoor allow for candidates to rate their interview experience with your company.

Negative reviews may deter people from applying.

Feedback on Glassdoor is useful but they control what’s rated. Design your own survey and send it directly to your candidates.

What affects the candidate experience?

The recruiting process & who the candidate interacts with

Survey the candidate for insights

How quick your company makes hiring decisions

Calculate time between when candidate applies to when hiring decision is made

Identify what aspects of the recruiting process you want to measure and design questions to rate those touchpoints.Survey Example #1 ● Survey Example #2

The Net Promoter Score {NPS} measures the overall candidate experience. You can calculate the NPS by asking this question in your candidate survey...

“Based on your most recent application experience, how likely are you to recommend us as an employer to a friend or colleague?”

Send survey to candidate seven days after they’ve reached a certain stage of the recruiting process (e.g., onsite interview).

Meet weekly with talent team (Recruiters) to discuss the candidate experience:

Review new responses and reviews on Glassdoor

Examine what happened to create those good/bad experiences

Review new responses to candidate experience surveys

Use these insights to improve the recruiting process and the quality of your interviewers.

Time to hiring decisions matter...

57%most frustrating part of

job search is the long wait after interview to hear if they got the job

23%lose interest in the firm if they don't hear back within one week after the initial interview

46%lose interest if there's no

status update from one-to-two weeks

post-interview

32%Long process makes them question the

organization's ability to make other decisions

Source: Robert Half’s “Time to Hire” Survey, August 2016

To combat these stats, get ambitious! Set a goal to make hiring decisions within seven days of anyone on your team first hearing about a candidate.

7 DAYS!!! How is that even f&^$#@ng possible?

Well, your Candidate Scorecard speeds up the interview and evaluation processes.

Meet daily with Hiring Managers to review applications.

Have the Hiring Manager give feedback on what made an applicant qualified/not qualified. You’ll become better at screening talent for them. Daily contact also keeps the Hiring Manager engaged and recruiting a priority.

Tell candidates you move quickly. They will reciprocate and respond faster too.

Use tools like an online scheduler to eliminate back-and-forth emails when scheduling interviews.

Summary of hires Candidate Net Promoter Score

Summary of themes/quotes from candidates about their experience

Publish your results by sending monthly recaps to the company:

#AlwaysBePubliclyAccountable

You’ve got a winner! What’s next?

Show The Total Package

You’ve found a winner. Close the deal like one.

Salary is important, but give the candidate The Total Package when presenting the offer.

The Total Package includes:

Salary, bonus, and equity numbers

Group benefits details

Time off information

Other flexible / fringe benefits

These are questions candidates likely have, and they will appreciate you being proactive and addressing those questions before they have to ask.

#MindReader

When designing the offer letter, address the common questions new hires have...

Questions about salary, bonuses, and equity:

1. How each is calculated.2. When each is paid/awarded.

Questions about group benefits:

1. What benefits are available?2. When eligible to join?3. How much they cost?

Questions about time off:

1. When is office closed for holidays?2. How much vacation/sick/personal

time off is awarded?3. Does it rollover?

Questions about other flexible/fringe benefits (e.g., parking, public transportation, on-site childcare):

1. What are available?2. Fee or free?

A little advice about salary negotiations...

Don’t do them.

Seriously. They lead to pay inequality.

Someone’s salary shouldn’t be based on how well they negotiate. It should be based on the role. Period.

Consider a structured approach to salaries...

Make salary and equity as formulaic as possible. It should be easy to explain.

Example: Buffer

The formal offer to the candidate deserves more presentation than an offer letter. Get creative and present it with a package of company stuff.

To summarize the seven best practices...

How to shape how your company recruits and hires:

Show Your Feathers Do Your Research Be The Flame Let Them Shine

Be Brave Check-In & Tune-Up

Show The Total Package

Resources RoundupFor a list of all links and references in this presentation, click here.

All images used are attributed here.

I would love to hear from you.

I am a one-man agency dedicated to helping companies recruit and retain top talent. Contact me for

help incorporating these best practices within your

organization.