It Shouldn't Be a Circus: 5 Tips to Engage Top Candidates

You may have the perfect cast of characters working in your organization already. You may be truly blessed and have them working for you from now until forever. If so, congratulations!

On the other hand, from time to time you may have to hire someone.You probably want to hire the best. You probably want the recruiting and hiring process to be as seamless, as effective as possible.

Let's start with engaging the top candidates for your open positions, rather than just attracting them. My commitment is to help organizations improve performance by increasing employee engagement. Every tip utilizes the power of engagement.

Construct a detailed job description. Draft, edit, and finalize a specific description of the position available. The more information you can provide to every interested candidate, the more immediately you begin to determine top candidates. Those are the ones who will stay in the game. Sending the full job description engages the mind and confidence of those who enter the candidate pool.

Prioritize qualities, traits, experiences desired. Itemize and prioritize "who and what" you're seeking for the position. Provide as much detail of qualifications a candidate needs to excel in the position. You're helping each candidate determine if he wants to engage in going after the job.

Encourage prime candidates with key points. As applications come in, reply immediately by phone or e-mail. Provide the candidate with key details about the company, the position, and the qualifications. This communication simultaneously demonstrates appreciation for the candidate and value of working for your company, in this position. This engages the candidate in considering the fit between the job/company and her offerings.

Provide pre-interview information. When you select a candidate for interview, provide him with specific pre-interview information. You may list questions he can prepare to answer. You may provide company information and encourage him to formulate questions to ask at the interview. You may present a case study and assignment for him to present at the interview. The engagement tactic is obvious; the candidate's degree of engagement will become obvious also.

Encourage contact before the interview. Energy, enthusiasm, and engagement are behaviors you surely seek along with specific qualifications. Give a candidate the opportunity to demonstrate these characteristics. Inform her to feel free to phone or e-mail with questions in advance of the interview. 

These tips add time and person-power to your recruiting efforts. I encourage you to analyze the ROI. These tips hone your recruitment as they allow you to select from a pool of more talented candidates. They  streamline your search process as less-suitable candidates remove themselves from the pool.  They benefit your organization as you select qualified individuals better matching your business culture.

Tomorrow: 5 Tips to Engage Your Interviewees

Photo Source: http://flickr.com/photos/ted_abbott/386133438/