When UX designers, developers, and in-demand IT professionals are receiving multiple offers, what are you doing to make your position stand out?
As part of Profiles recruitment process, we prepare all of our candidates prior to their phone or face-to-face interview. As staffing experts, our “preps” include interview best practices, the culture of the team, company history, scope of work, and how to best leverage their background as it relates to the position. Basically, we’re giving them the answers to your test—the day before the test.
But with the market shifting and candidates in the digital arena becoming more and more in demand, are hiring managers preparing for their interviews? My colleagues and I have had to counsel decision-makers on how to best “sell” their position to the top talent in the industry.
Here are a couple of tips I’ve recently shared with some of my Hiring Managers:
1- Share the importance of the role’s contribution within the team
My candidates want to know the scope of the work, the projects that they’ll be working on and how they fit in to the rest of the team. If you can’t break down the responsibilities of the position and the upcoming projects, how is the talent supposed make their answers relevant? Setting the expectations of the job early on is the best way to communicate what you’re seeking. Be prepared to share upcoming projects, the goals of this person and how everyone involved functions as a team.
2- Describe your Managerial Style
No one likes surprises! So if you’re hands on, involved in the day-to-day and consider yourself a micromanager, let them know. If you take the back seat and let them run with the project, share that too. Prepared candidates will ask what level involvement you have in the projects; how you manage processes could be a potential red-flag.
3- Recognize Great Performance
Do you promote from within? Are you generous with recognizing great work? Nearly everyone wants recognition for the work they do, but in different ways. Share during the interview how the success of this position is measured, and what the development opportunities are for someone in this role.
4- Keep up with Emerging Technologies
Are you using HTML5? Talk about it! Are you about to launch a mobile app? Mention it! Was your team able to increase website traffic using social media? Share your social strategy! Do you offer training for the latest programming language? Brag about it!
Our candidates tell us that the #1 deciding-factor for their next position is the latest technologies and a company that keeps on emerging trends. Be ready to share specifics on how you specifically support technology growth.
5- Keep the Process Moving
Many of our candidates in the interactive and development space are interviewing with multiple companies. If you meet someone you like that is a great fit, don’t drag your feet! Keep the process going and quickly bring them in again or make the offer. You wouldn’t want to lose top talent to your competitor, simply because they made a decision more quickly. Working with a staffing agency can also help speed up your process, and ensure that any candidate you interview will be qualified for the job.
6- Be Transparent
My final tip for hiring managers is to keep in mind that they’re interviewing you as much as you’re interviewing them. If you’re interested in the candidate and their background, let them know! Don’t make them wonder. Ask questions about their background, how they stay current and what they are most passionate about.
Most importantly, show enthusiasm! If you’re not excited and passionate about your work, how is the new hire supposed to be? Confidently talk about your team, campaigns you’re most proud of, what is most exciting about your opportunity. Doing so will make your position positively stand out in a competitive job landscape.
Author Name – Meryl Ratzman
Title – Account Manager
Location – Baltimore, MD
Twitter – @merylratzman
Byline – Meryl has been recruiting for a year with Profiles and has 8+ years in the marketing and creative space. When she’s not recruiting and networking with interactive peeps, she’s eating gummy candy, listening to new indie rock bands or watching bad reality TV.
Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos
