How to attract great talents
There are companies out there that receive so many job applications that they use an applicant tracking system to prescreen for unqualified candidates. If you do not have a college degree, you are out. If you do not have a certain number of years of relevant experience, you are out.
However, startup companies are different. They remove any barriers between their job openings and job seekers. If you are a recruiter working for a startup company, you probably often hear, “I had never heard of your company until I come across your job posting.” This means many startup companies are under job seekers’ radars. Unlike more established corporations, you need to create a recruitment program from scratch and give the recruitment process bit more thought. Below are my recommendations for you.
1) Know who you are
If you are a startup company, you should not try to compete with larger corporations, such as Google, Apple, or Facebook. They are looking for specific kinds of people, and those companies tell very distinct stories. They are known for asking out-of-the-box interview questions, creating amenities as if they have their own zip codes, and searching for talents with specific ways of thinking. Your company is different. Once you know your core values and your story, you will attract like-minded individuals.
2) Create a candidate journey
This part involves a series of questions. First, put yourself in a job seeker’s shoes for a moment. How will you look for a job? With each of those job-seeking methods, what experience would you like to have? What would you like to see on the company’s website? To you, how long should the company take to respond after your initial application? If you are using a recruiter to fill the position, how much knowledge should the recruiter have about the role or the company? Be thorough as you mentally map the journey you’d like each candidate to experience the moment they come across your company's job.
3) Create a road map
Once you construct the aforementioned mental map, write down the steps. Prioritize what should happen first. If you do not have budget for a videographer to create a company video, you can substitute it with some pictures of professional employees or the office. If you do not have an in-house web marketer and your company’s website is rather bare, invest money in using a headhunter who can promote your company for you.
