At Carex, we’ve had the pleasure to work with a variety of companies—established corporations, start-ups, small businesses that have gone through growth spurts—you name the type of company, and chances are we’ve had some experience with them.
As we’ve rolled up our sleeves and helped these companies identify their talent challenges and needs, we’ve noticed that there are a few traits or factors that most contribute to shared recruiting success with our partners. The partners that we’ve been able to have the most success with simply approach their hiring differently—and it’s been incredible to learn from and work alongside these organizations.
Below, our team discusses those positive traits and factors in detail—and gives additional advice on how to mitigate some of the biggest issues we see that can stifle a company’s success with its recruiting partner.
Clear communication
“Clear, transparent, and timely communication throughout the process is paramount,” says Theresa Balsiger, our Vice President of Candidate Relations. In fact, we’d go so far as to say it’s the most important part of a partner/talent matchmaker relationship.
Understanding everything you’re contending with—which roles are a priority, if hiring for a certain role has stalled and why, keeping in constant communication in terms of what we can tell employees about the hiring process—we want to know what’s happening, both so we’re able to turn around and be transparent with our candidates and focus on what’s most important to you.
A desire for a true, long-term partnership
Another factor we’ve seen lead to success with our partners is that they view our partnership as long-term—not transactional. When there’s a true partnership, “you invest in ways that you’re not going to if it’s a one-and-done hiring situation,” says Sourcing Specialist Jen Emmons. One of the big ways to fuel that long-term partnership is to share more about your company—what do your benefits look like? What’s the culture? What are the organization’s plans for the future?
“Carex can sell your company so much better if we know you,” Jen says. “We’ll also be able to better identify the candidates that we’ve been talking to that would fit well within your company.”
A need for speed
In our last blog, we talked about the importance of speed—or, rather, slowing down in the right places and speeding up in the right places. “Speed is such a simple thing, but it’s so important,” says Matt Duffy, Carex’s Vice President of Customer Success.
Casey Liakos, Carex’s Co-Founder and President, agrees. “We always tell partners to go faster than you’re comfortable with,” he says. To go fast, Theresa suggests scheduling in the time you’ll need to review resumes and interview. “This is essential to ensuring the candidate process goes smoothly and you don’t miss out on candidates because you have full calendars and competing priorities,” she says.
Commitment to getting the details right
Another trait of a great partner is that they know getting details correct on the front end of the hiring process means less chance for error as they’re going through the process. One way this manifests is in air-tight job descriptions.
“Our partners know that it’s important that the position they’re hiring for be as well-represented and truthful as possible,” Matt says. “So, they’ll do the work on their end to give us a well-defined job description that speaks to the audience they want to attract.” In fact, he suggests not having an HR team write the job description. “Have someone currently in that job write the summary—have it be an authentic representation of that role.”
Jen adds, “The best job descriptions answer key questions for a candidate before they even apply. And, it adds even more detail beyond responsibilities and needed skills.” Giving candidates context in your job summaries and descriptions—like what they’ll do in their role, how they’ll get to have an impact, and how they’ll grow—are important details to include as well.
Regular refinement of the hiring processes
Hiring processes aren’t set in stone, and as the market continues to shift, it’s important for organizations to routinely audit their procedures to make sure they’re creating the best experience for candidates. This includes regularly asking for feedback, whether you’re surveying candidates who didn’t move forward in the process or employees you’ve newly hired.
And, when it comes to auditing your process, make sure you’re looking at it holistically. “Everything is up for a closer look—including your screening process, interview process—including interview questions—and your post-interview follow-up,” Jen says.
Curiosity and open-mindedness
In a tight labor market, it’s important to have a bit of curiosity when it comes to the role(s) you’re hiring for. We’ve been in many situations where companies have a bit of tunnel vision—they need to hire a certain job title, so they only look for resumes with that job title. Maybe they got burned by taking a chance on someone who didn’t have that job title, and they’re surely not going to get burned again.
However, we’ve noticed that the most successful partners we work with have an open mind and a healthy dose of curiosity about how their hiring goals can be met. “They can see a candidate’s transferable skills, or they see an opportunity to train or upskill,” says Jen. “Some creative thinking—and the openness to see a candidate’s experience differently—has resulted in some fantastic hires for our partners.”
A pulse on the market—and the culture
Another key factor of a successful hiring strategy is to conduct regular market assessments and understand compensation—not just total compensation and salary ranges, but benefits and how they relate to everyone in the organization. “Do you have multiple generations in your workplace, and do your benefits truly benefit all of those generations?” Jen says. “Are your professional development opportunities geared toward a variety of career priorities? Taking a look at your benefits now—and into the future—will help you stay competitive.”
There’s also a need to really understand your culture and the conversations happening among employees at your company. “The partners who are taking an active role in truly listening to their current employees—and learning from those employees who are no longer in the organization—are able to use this data to inform future hiring efforts,” Jen says. Regularly checking your Glassdoor and Indeed reviews, conducting “stay interviews,” rolling out a consistent employee survey program—and using this information to improve the culture—will make it easier for their hiring partners to address any job seeker questions.
An understanding of the relationship between their brand and recruitment efforts
Many of the partners we’ve worked with understand that their organization’s real estate—specifically, their website and social media presence—is one of the first things job seekers will explore, so it’s important that their recruitment branding is on point.
“An ‘About’ page that tells a great company story, a “Careers” page with day-in-the-life videos, information related to benefits and the culture, especially from the employee perspective—that’s what candidates are looking for,” Jen says.
Want to have a more successful hiring strategy? We can help with that. Give us a shout to get started.