Although the hiring market is beginning to tiptoe back from the edge of chaos, depending on your industry, it’s still an applicant’s market.
Closing job candidates becomes an upmost priority when you’ve had a position that’s been open for a while. It takes time and money to find great candidates and get them in for an interview. But if you’re able to achieve that—no small feat—how do you take them from the job offer to the acceptance? The longer a position is open, the more it drains your company’s bottom line. Therefore, finding a way to fill those positions should be a huge focus.
If there’s a candidate you’re particularly jazzed up about, it’s hard not to get excited. But if you think they’d be a great fit for your company, the chances are that their stellar resume, outstanding social skills, and prompt professionalism have gotten them multiple job offers. How can you stand out from the crowd and ensure it’s your company they say yes to?
There are some obvious tactics to get more acceptances from candidates—more money, for starters. But if you can’t necessarily raise the base salary of a position, there are still plenty of ways to woo a candidate into saying “yes” to your offer.
Here are four straightforward ways to close job candidates so that you your company can go back to operating at its fullest capacity.
Be Upfront In Your Listing
Believe it or not, you can take some steps to help you close a candidate before you ever meet with them. When you first post your job listing, it helps to be as transparent as possible in terms of things like expectations, job roles, and salary. The more specific you can be, the more you’ll attract the type of candidate that will be good fit. As an example, marketing is an incredibly broad term; identifying things like social media strategies you want implemented or conferences you want someone to attend can help a candidate really feel right (or wrong!) for the role. Hiring managers, recruiters, and other employees should all be able to contribute to the job listing to ensure it’s accurate and inticing. When someone comes in for an interview, you want them to already be excited about the position and feel like you’re on the same page. This can also impact where you decide to post your job listing—if you focus mostly on online channels, or if you prefer an in-person networking strategy, or if you take out ads on specific job boards. By being upfront and transparent, you will get the correct people in the door right off the bat, increasing your chances for a great interview and an accepted offer.
Be Punctual and Professional
Obviously, it’s important to be on time. But when it comes to job interviews and meeting potential candidates, punctuality is even more important than usual. Although we all have a lot on our plates, if you’re late and disheveled when you show up to an interview, it instantly communicates to the candidate that this position isn’t that important to you. And if it’s already not that important to you, why should they accept it? What support will they get if they accept? Will their work be prioritized or recognized? All of these thoughts can start spinning in a candidate’s head, and they’re doubtful to begin with. Not a great start!
It isn’t just what time you walk into the room, either. How long does it take you to respond to their initial application? Once they call, do they get a prompt call back? Furthermore, being prepared for a job interview makes a huge difference. An interview should not be the first time you’re seeing a candidate’s resume, and you should already be well-versed in their background. Constantly shuffling papers or glancing around is going to give off a bad impression and disrupt the flow of the interview. If there’s a candidate you’re excited about, put your best foot forward in the interview process.
Ask The Candidate What’s Most Important to Them
You may be surprised at what’s most important to a job candidate, but you’ll never know unless you ask! Maybe they’re concerned about their parental leave as they’re hoping to grow their family in the next few years. Maybe they want to make sure they’ll have opportunities for job growth, continuing education, and promotion. Maybe they’re concerned with flexibility in terms of where and when they work. By getting this information from a candidate, you’ll be able to advocate for them and try to craft policies that align with their wishes. Benefits packages don’t need to be “one size fits all”, and it’s becoming more and more common to craft positions around employees instead of the other way around. It can go a really long way towards impressing a candidate to listen more than you talk in an interview, repeat back what you’ve heard, and see what you can do to satisfy their requests. By listening to the candidate and identifying what’s most important to them, you’ll increase the chances that you’re able to satisfy them, therefore getting closer to closing a deal and bringing them on board.
Point Out the Ways Their Specific Skills Will Benefit Your Organization
Lastly, don’t be afraid to get excited! If you’re trying to get a job candidate excited about a potential position, it helps if you share your excitement first. One easy way to do this is to lay out why, exactly, you want them to accept a position. Explain how their skills, passions, and values will fit within your organization. Help them to understand that you can provide what they’re looking for and that they don’t need to keep looking for a new opportunity. Paint the picture of what it would look like for them to come on board, and help them see that they’d be a perfect fit. Enthusiasm is contagious—share yours!
Claire Swinarski is a Contributing Editor at HR Daily Advisor.
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