If you want a chance of recruiting a new candidate successfully, you’ll need to show them that your workplace is one worth joining. That means going out of your way to create a fantastic first impression. But how can you do this?

Key Elements of a Good First Impression

We’ll be exploring some specific strategies you can use to give job candidates a better first impression of your business, but first, let’s go over some of the hallmarks of a “good” first impression. What does it mean to impress a new job candidate?

Ultimately, you’ll want to demonstrate these qualities:

• Organization. First, you’ll want to show that your HR department (and the business overall) is organized. If you seem unsure of what’s going on, or if you give out contradictory information, it’s going to be a sign that you don’t have things together. It’s also going to be confusing, resulting in a worse initial experience with your organization.
• Culture. Next, you’ll want to demonstrate your work culture. This means showing your job candidate that they’re going to have a good experience working here; in some cases, that means highlighting the personalities and experiences of current employees, and in others, that means giving the job candidate a sneak preview of what they can expect from the organization.
• Legitimacy. It also helps to establish the legitimacy, professionalism, or capabilities of the business. The most talented, skilled, and experienced job candidates tend to gravitate toward positions with businesses who have a solid reputation in the industry, or who can prove their worth in other ways.

So how can you capture these elements with a new job candidate?

Start With a Formal Introduction

First, start with a formal introduction. When reaching out to a prospective job candidate for the first time, give them a brief rundown of your company—one that truly explains who you are and what you do. Avoid corporate buzzwords and other generic language here. If your pitch sounds like the same pitch every other business in your industry is using, you’re going to blend in as white noise. Instead, show off your personality and explain what makes your organization unique.

Show Off Your Teambuilding Events

Next, try to show off your teambuilding events however you can. Depending on the context, that may mean simply explaining some of your recent teambuilding events to a job candidate. It may mean inviting them to the office while one is currently unfolding. It could also mean inviting them directly to a teambuilding event so they can meet the team.

Teambuilding events bring employees together and show that your business can have fun—accordingly, they’re often seen as some of the best perks of the job. There are many teambuilding options to choose from, depending on your work culture, budget, and available time slot; for example, you could take a half day off work to go to the firing range or solve a murder mystery with the team. If you have more time, you could go on a kayaking excursion or go hiking in the woods. And if you’re on a time crunch, a fun board game could suffice. Almost any fun event you choose can instantly make the job seem less stressful and more appealing.

Host a Tour of the Office (and Prep Your Employees)

If you choose not to invite your job prospect to a teambuilding event, consider at least inviting them to the office directly—and prep your employees while you’re at it. Showing off the physical space where you work can give your job prospect a firm idea of how they might feel while working there; they’ll be able to picture their future workspace and get to see, firsthand, how people interact with one another. Just make sure your employees are ready to give a good first impression as well.

Answer Questions Honestly

Your job prospect will likely ask several questions about the nature of the business, the position they’re aspiring to fill, and other aspects about the job. When they do, answer these questions as directly and honestly as possible—even if the answers don’t paint you in a favorable light. Employees these days value transparency enormously; they want to be reassured that their employers aren’t hiding anything from them. Accordingly, your honest and direct answers can demonstrate transparency and make them feel more comfortable engaging with you.

Be Upfront About the Downsides

Even the best job in the world has its downsides. If your job prospect is consistently impressed with what you have to offer, they’ll probably be thinking “what’s the catch?” Rather than trying to illustrate this position as the perfect job, be upfront and honest about some of the downsides. For example, do you have strict requirements for working hours? Is the job especially stressful compared to other positions? Chances are, your job prospect will be grateful for your honesty.

Cater to the Individual

Treating every job prospect as the same is a massive mistake. Every job prospect is going to have a different background, a different personality, and different preferences when it comes to working. Additionally, many recruiters and HR departments rely on the same stale tactics to appeal to new job candidates, meaning if you replicate these attempts, you’ll seem robotic and predictable.

You’re much more likely to make a good impression if you cater to each individual. Get to know what their working style is like. Get to know their personality. And most importantly, talk to them like you would any human being in a personal context, rather than treating them like a cog in the machine.

Have a Good Onboarding Strategy

Finally, make sure you have a good onboarding strategy. Assuming your job candidate is interested in taking the position, you’ll want to carry the momentum of your good impression forward and ease their integration into the workforce. Give them everything they need for a smooth first day on the job, and provide them with documents and resources that can answer any question they have.

Impressing job candidates takes a bit of extra effort, but you shouldn’t have to go too far out of your way to accomplish this. Once you employ these strategies, you’ll find it much easier to attract and retain top talent in your organization.