Keeping in mind that every communication made on behalf of your organization makes an impact on its perception to others, HR professionals should take extra care when communicating with unsuccessful applicants after an interview process. Sending out rejections is often the last step of the recruitment process for busy hiring managers; however, it is important to take this opportunity to build goodwill with the candidates and leave them with a good impression of your company via the rejection letter.
• Keep it timely. Send the rejection letter within a reasonable amount of time after you have determined the candidate will not be hired. Candidates appreciate not being left wondering for weeks whether they will be offered the job.
• Be direct, but gracious. Begin the letter by warmly thanking the candidate for considering your organization for their next career move. Then get right to the point, remembering to extend a compliment, if you can. For instance, “While your background and qualifications are quite impressive, we have selected another candidate for the position.”
Using video in recruitment is quickly becoming a core component of talent acquisition. To gain a competitive advantage, many companies are adapting their traditional recruitment strategies and processes to incorporate the use of video in candidate sourcing, selection, and beyond.
Employer Brand – Videos help employers stand out by bringing more recognition and innovation to their brand. On company career sites, videos can be used to showcase information about the company and the careers offered, such as “a day in the life” videos for certain key roles. Videos reveal a genuine look at an organization’s culture and what it’s like to work there, connecting the recruiter to the right candidates more effectively.
When it comes to counteroffers from a candidate you have extended an offer to, my advice to employers is to proceed with caution. It is best to plan ahead for the possibility of your offer being countered so that you can respond rather quickly without stalling the process. Time lost at this stage of the game can definitely hurt the impression the potential new hire has of your company.
Candidates arrive at counteroffers a few different ways:
Once you have determined that you need the help of a headhunter to fill a critical role, you may find yourself deliberating how to find the right one. You obviously want the recruiter you select to have an upper hand over your competition in finding the right candidate for your role. So you may wonder what important qualities should a recruiter possess, what reputation they should have, or what questions to ask them.
Trusted peers within your industry can recommend headhunters they have worked with, and you can easily find a list of them by conducting an internet search. Most headhunters have websites that tell about their process for finding and screening talent, but each is unique in some way and their techniques and philosophies on discovering and assessing candidates is most important. Have a conversation with them – by phone, but preferably in person – to learn the following:
If you have not been involved in a corporate merger or acquisition, current economic conditions and trends indicate that the chances of you experiencing one is increasing. When a company chooses to merge with or acquire another company to boost financial performance or ensure long-term growth, the role of the Human Resources professional is vital and identified as one of the strongest influences in the ultimate outcome of the process. According to Harvard Business Review, an estimated 70-90% of all mergers and acquisitions fail to achieve their anticipated strategic and financial objectives. “This rate of failure is often attributed to various HR-related factors, such as incompatible cultures, management styles, poor motivation, loss of key talent, lack of communication, diminished trust and uncertainty of long-term goals. “ (Source)
While executives access in fine detail the financial and business aspects of a potential merger or acquisition, the synergies and challenges that will exist on the people side of the business are often examined at a higher level. HR professionals are uniquely challenged in working out the details to ensure the business transaction’s success.
Taking into account the unique set of challenges that mergers and acquisitions bring, there are three key areas in which HR leaders must execute to help ensure a successful transition:
When considering a recruiting strategy to attract passive talent, employers should note the following important statistics from AgCareers.com’s latest Candidate Motivation & Behavior Survey. With over 1,500 people polled, the survey revealed that while the vast majority (84%) were currently employed, over 40% of them were passively looking for work. This reinforces the unique challenge employers face in targeting what is generally believed to be the best talent pool – passive candidates. Candidates who are not urgently looking for work, and are typically employed, are generally defined as “passive”.
As the leading job board in agriculture and food, AgCareers.com recognizes the need for employers to proactively source talent in addition to seeking job posting respondents. We provide a vast, searchable database of resumes that allows employers to forward candidate profiles to team members, add candidate notes, and contact the job seeker by e-mail without ever leaving our site! We also have a notification tool that sends an e-mail alert when a job seeker matching the employer’s criteria registers on our site. Employers with active job posting packages or paid subscriptions gain access to search our database, which currently contains over 10,000 up-to-date job seeker profiles.
I think almost everyone can recount some unexpected interview questions that caught them off guard and became the most memorable part of a job interview. You know, those non-traditional questions like “If you could be doing anything, what would you do?”, or “If you could have any super power, what would it be?” Truth be told, these types of unique, thought-provoking questions often lead to the pivotal point in a job interview where even the most prepared, well-rehearsed candidates drop their guard and begin to reveal more about themselves than they may have anticipated.
Interviewing strategically using some unexpected interview questions can help the hiring manager dig deeper to find the best candidate for the job. These types of questions break the rhythm of the interview and allow unique qualities to be revealed. Such traits could be essential to the position, such as interpersonal skills, management style, integrity, and the ability to work with others.
After polling co-workers and industry peers, I have come up with a list of ten unexpected interview questions that tend to reveal the true candidate:
When I speak with employers who are about to post a job on AgCareers.com, they often want my input on how to create the most effective job posting for the talent they are seeking. The first piece of advice I give them is to focus on attracting the best candidates and not necessarily screening out those that are unqualified. At a minimum, job postings should include information about the company, a brief description of the job, the qualifications or requirements to effectively do the job, and how to apply for it. Generally, the “qualifications or requirements” section is the most challenging and crucial portion of the job posting. Here are some tips on how to create a job posting that will compel the best candidates to apply:
• Keep it short – The best candidates have limited time to job search. Get right to the point about what your company has to offer and tell them about the ideal candidate you are seeking. Combine similar qualifications when practical and try to limit your list to no more than seven very specific requirements.
Once you have hired an employee and relocation will be required, there are many actions an employer can take to make the transition go smoothly for them. Employees who are moving have a big challenge ahead of them, and much of what goes on in their lives in the weeks or months to come has little to do with their new job. Moving is mentally, emotionally, and physically challenging! The way you support the relocation is an opportunity to assure the new hire that they made the right decision to join your team, makes them feel valued, and commences a smooth onboarding process. Here are some things to consider:
Help the new employee see the pros of the relocation over the cons. Be enthusiastic in all your communications regarding the new hire coming on board. Help them see the new opportunity as professional advancement and the overall long-term value of the relocation.
While some companies consistently enlist the services of executive recruiters (aka “Headhunters”) to complement the work of their internal recruiting staff or to act as their sole source of recruiting, other companies rely on them when faced with filling critical or hard-to-fill roles. Here are ten reasons employers may consider using the services of an outside recruiter: