September 20, 2023
Recruiters have an insider’s perspective of hiring – they do it for a living. Passing only the best, most qualified applicants on to employers is a recruiter’s job, and only experience and know-how can ensure one can wade through a sea of under-qualified applicants to find the diamond in the rough.
Recruiters share their 5 best hiring tips below, from the importance of getting proof of applicant job accomplishments to requiring an employee probationary period.
5 Hiring Tips from Recruiters
1. Hire someone who knows about your company.
A recruiter wouldn’t look twice at a candidate who drew a blank when asked about the company, why they’d want the job, or their opinion on a recent company press feature. Hire someone who has taken the time to do their homework on the company and position they’re applying for.
It’s okay if they’d never heard of the company before the application process, but if they didn’t take a moment to check out the website or brush up on the business before the interview, they’re not going to be a stellar employee.
2. Beware the applicant who brags without proof.
The interview is a common time for applicants to start bragging on past accomplishments and career milestones – it’s one way to stand out from other candidates. Bragging is fine as long as the applicant has proof to back up the claims (print outs, data, reliable references, certificates, charts, etc.), but an applicant who brags about great past success without showing any type of proof or providing references is likely exaggerating or leaving something important out. Skip these applicants in favor of those who can show evidence of their accomplishments.
3. Give a ballpark salary in the application stage.
You don’t want to go into details regarding salary and benefits until the second or third interview, but do give a ballpark salary range to candidates in the application stage. It will save you both time. If an applicant has previously earned a salary that is more than the high end of your ballpark range, they won’t waste the time to apply and you’ll be that much closer to finding the right candidate. Be sure to research the average salary or pay rate in your region so you’re not offering pay that is either much lower or higher than similar companies near you.
4. Respond to every applicant that meets pre-defined criteria.
Don’t trust your gut too much when it comes to hiring. Before you start looking at candidates, determine what criteria it is absolutely essential that your new employee meet. You might have 5 points on this list, and it will make the process much simpler for you – if you sort of like this candidate but they only meet 3 of the 5 criteria, you’ll know it’s time to pass. Respond to every applicant who does meet your criteria and you might be surprised at which ones turn out to be amazing candidates.
5. Start with a probationary period.
This is one of the best hiring tips. You don’t want to get stuck with an employee who just isn’t working out (and sometimes, that happens). The best thing to do is to start with a probationary period. It might be 6 weeks or 6 months, but during this time, you free your company to let the employee go without consequence if things aren’t working out. If you do find that the employee is a good fit, once the probationary period is over, you can move into a regular full-time agreement.
