Aries Merritt is the fastest 110 meter hurdler in the world — having run it in just shy of 13 seconds.
He’s kind of a big deal.
Hiring your next team member in 13 seconds? Not advised.
And yet, it takes just 7 seconds to garner a first impression upon meeting someone new.
Problem is, you’ve got to get to the starting line to even hire someone in the first place. And that? Well, it’s easier said than done.
Here are the top 3 hurdles faced by hiring managers and our team’s tips for overcoming them.
Hurdle 1: Identifying Key Competitors - So you’ve just posted a job and within hours you have hundreds of resumes for your review. Traditionally, hiring managers look at education and work experience to determine fit. Other things, like cover letters, can help too. Maybe even a bot that weeds out people based on core qualifications? Thing is, finding the right fit is about more than that. Often, it’s about values and personality only determined upon first introduction. Luckily, hiring a recruiting team to outsource this step can dramatically help you narrow down the right candidates from the ones that just look good on paper. If you can’t do that, we recommend identifying your core values and experience that you’re looking for pertinent to the role AND your team dynamics. This will help you find the right fit not just based on education, but on work culture and team fit.
Hurdle 2: The Race to Hire - Filling a role, particularly one at a more senior level, comes with long lead times. It’s not fun for anyone - including the candidates. The time span between receiving resumes, qualifying candidates, interviewing, checking references, and on boarding, can feel painful (at best)! To overcome the race to hire, we recommend always being on the lookout for new talent and hiring when the right talent comes along — rather than just for a specific role. The ideal candidate’s salary will be covered, in time, by the new hire’s ability to add value and bring in business. Think outside the box and never be afraid to get help from people, well, like our team!
Hurdle 3: Managing Job Postings - It used to be that you would hire a candidate that you found from their submission to a job posting on a job board. Not anymore! Today, we have social media channels, countless types of job boards, LinkedIn, and so much more. Often, even, the best referrals come from word of mouth. Our thought? Hire someone who can take the stress and anxiety off of your shoulders when it comes to posting and managing new openings. It will increase your efficiency and speed up the hiring process too.
We’re always looking out for new talent for various top-tier teams. Need help? We’re here, and we have over 10 years of experience finding people (like you, and your team) #therightfit.