Hi Reader,

Hiring processes are employment brand-building opportunities even if you don’t end up recruiting someone. Running a slick but rigorous selection vastly improves your candidate engagement and leaves you with company advocates even if you don’t end up hiring them.

Here are three areas to consider but what else would you have on your list?

Be rigorous on selection but don’t hire on gut feel

We have all hired people we instinctively like or who are similar to ourselves. It’s human nature to do this but it’s a gamble not to deeply assess a candidate’s ability to do the job and fit your culture. Gut feel only gets you so far. Even if you are a seasoned executive hiring someone from within your sector, there is a good chance your interview will only assess what the candidate knows and what they have done. Unless you are a skilled (and highly trained) interviewer then it’s unlikely you’ll be effectively assessing leadership traits and behaviours other via your intuition. The danger is unconscious bias impairing your objectivity. Candidates appreciate a rigorous but efficient process as it speaks to you taking hiring very seriously

Can you communicate your EVP in 30 seconds?

Hiring an executive is a two-way process. Whilst your executive search firm or talent acquisition function may have done a great job of presenting the opportunity, the only way they’re going to accept the job is if they buy the vision. It’s incredibly important for a company’s leadership team to be aligned on this and for the candidate to see and hear consistent messaging. Clear and succinct headlines around employer value proposition – covering strategy and vision, purpose and values are critical to buy in. Whilst we often associate purpose and values as motivators for younger generations, they are becoming increasingly important for senior executives.

Excessively long hiring processes impact engagement

Achieving momentum in business is very important. I’m also a believer that momentum in hiring processes is equally so. Excessive gaps between meetings or delays in providing feedback are a bad look. It can suggest inefficiency or a lack of commitment to a hiring process. Just like your customer experience directly impacts loyalty, the candidate experience is correlated to engagement to a hiring process.

What else would you add to this list?

For a more in-depth view of this article see my latest blog on the Knowledge section of my website.

​https://www.bartonrock.com/what-impression-are-you-creating-through-your-hiring-process/​

If you would like help or advice on streamlining your hiring process then get in touch with me. For assessment and succession planning solutions please contact Kate Thomas at NewlandRock.

To your continued success,

Guy

​​BartonRock

About BartonRock:​

Guy Day is the Founder of BartonRock, the executive search partner for digitally transforming companies in consumer and retail.

We manage the careers of leaders whose know-how and commercial acumen within digital steers the strategic direction and future survival of companies.

For more information visit: www.bartonrock.com or contact guy@bartonrock.com

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