Have you ever said to yourself, “I’ll know it when I see it,” in terms of the perfect person for an IT role? This simple phrase can be a hiring manager’s worse enemy when it comes to selecting their next employee. For high-demand, high-skill roles, waiting for something better to come around often means letting something great go in the meantime. Star candidates won’t wait around forever, so don’t be surprised when you finally call them back after exhausting all of your other resources only to find they’ve moved on to an offer from a competitor. And starting over may prove to be a challenge. So how do you solve this? Let’s take a closer look at your hiring process so you don’t miss out on top candidates.
- Time is of the essence. Many hiring managers believe that by waiting to see what else is out there they will be able to catch talent as soon as it’s available. But there is an inherent risk in this behavior. By waiting for more possibilities, you instantly risk losing out on the top candidates you’ve already seen. Why? Because job seekers don’t stop looking when they’ve had an interview. They will continue to look for a job and if their skills are in demand, they will find one.
- Be cautious about passive candidates. In many cases, your top candidate will have been a passive one. This means they were not specifically looking for a job when your staffing partner contacted them to discuss the possibility of your open position. But if you don’t make a move on this candidate, they may decide to make their own search more active because now they’ve seen what else is out there as well. Once they do that, they’ll be more likely to find and accept another job while you’re still waiting.
- Prepare ahead of your interview process. Many hiring managers also believe that they can wing a job interview, but this can backfire quickly. It’s okay to admit that you don’t have a lot of experience in the process, but your candidates shouldn’t be able to tell immediately. Create a process long before you start meeting with potential employees so each candidate is evaluated on the same criteria.
- Work with a recruiter. Finally, the best way to ensure that you’re getting top talent and not letting them slip through the cracks is to work with a staffing partner. Your recruiter can help source and pre-screen candidates so you don’t have to. You can focus on the day-to-day business of your own job and step into the process when you know that you’ve been presented with the top candidates fitting your criteria.
Are you interested in learning more ways a staffing partner can help you source and hire the best IT candidates? Contact nFuzion IT today!