5 Common Sense Tips for Crafting a Beneficial Candidate Experience

Paul Freed on April 12, 2024

When you really get down to it, recruitment and hiring is about building your business; creating opportunities for your company to achieve its full potential. It may seem counter-intuitive, but the hiring process contains another, hidden opportunity to grow and develop your company’s image and brand. Whether or not you actually hire them, prospective candidates leave the application process with an impression of your company based on the experience they had. According to a survey by Kelly Services UK, 70% of applicants would talk about a negative experience with family and friends and 31% would go public. But more than that, the way that you hire and onboard prospects really reflects how your organization is run, both inside and out. As such, it’s important that team members start off on the right foot when they are brought on, and that those who aren’t leave with the best possible feeling. Here are five common sense tips for crafting a better, more beneficial candidate experience.

1. Turn Candidate Experience Into a Company Policy

We touched on it before, but this point can’t be over-emphasized. Pooling company-wide support into creating a positive recruitment experience might seem like overkill, but it really goes a long way. Make sure team members politely greet candidates when they come in for an interview, and designate a few current team members to make themselves available for candidate questions. These may seem like insignificant things, but in reality, the benefits of a positive candidate experience reverberate far beyond the recruitment process. Virgin Media found that new business could be acquired through the recruitment process for one tenth the cost of traditional marketing channels, for example. Take every opportunity you can to be great, even in recruiting.

2. Create a Stellar Job Description

A job description is the earliest point of contact in the recruitment process. Before your recruitment team can even respond to the résumés flying in, candidates have formed an impression of your company’s brand and identity through the job description you posted. A good description will wow candidates and generate excitement about your company the open position.

3. Make the Application Process as Simple as Possible

Making the application process simple and straightforward is very simple way of improving candidate experience. Your recruitment process will be thorough in order to on-board the best talent available, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a labyrinth for applicants with various hoops to jump through. Format should never supercede substance; if applicants are having trouble adhering to the specification s within your application process, there’s something wrong. If the application process is simple and legible, applicants can focus on only including relevant information and bringing their A-game to the interview. Some businesses even pepper the process with tips, advice, or guidelines on how to successfully complete applications.

4. Think About how You’d Like to Be Interviewed

Another example of common sense thinking: a little respect can go a long way. Think of the golden rule and simply treat your applicants like you’d want to be treated. When it comes to recruiting, a good first step is to set up an automated email response to all applications. Every candidate should be in the loop at every turn of the application process. When it’s time to decline, do so respectfully with a professional note or a phone call. This step is particularly important if the candidate had multiple interviews. In general, it’s best to imagine that you’re interviewing a friend. Imbue the candidate’s experience with all the respect you know they deserve.

5. Remember, Onboarding is Part of the Candidate Experience

Onboarding is the final step in the recruitment process. Don’t leave new hires hanging. Just as you’ve done in the application process, give them all the resources, tools and information they need to be successful in their new position, and then share that success with your company.

Providing a more positive candidate experience is a practice taking the business world by storm. It doesn’t just feel good to treat people better; the ROI on making significant, systemic changes to your recruitment process is measurable and, frankly, too good to ignore.

We at Herd Freed Hartz understand the importance and the challenge of hiring top talent. There are so many executive recruiters in Seattle, but we have proven ourselves time and again to be the most successful at bringing to hire the right top executive talent from around the country.

If you’re on the hunt for top executive talent, contact us today.

Time to Candidate: How Herd Freed Hartz Helps You Find the Right Candidate in Record Time

Paul Freed on April 12, 2024

According to a study conducted by Temple University, the optimal length for a CEO’s stay at a company is just 4.8 years. However, the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants reports that almost half of all new CEOs don’t make it past 18 months. Turnover of that rate creates vacancies that can cost potentially cost your company millions, especially if your new hire isn’t the right fit.

HFH understands that, especially when recruiting top-talent candidates, time is money, and we incorporate this understanding into all of our recruitment operations from the very beginning. That’s why, of all the executive search firms in Seattle, we consistently provide the fastest average time to candidate: 37 days. Here’s how:

Telling Your Story

The story of your business isn’t so different from the all-time epics of our age: Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Game of Thrones. Whether destroying the ring, defeating the Galactic Empire, or ascending the Iron Throne, every epic story revolves around a quest. Your business’s quest might be delivering a quality products or services at competitive prices. Whatever it is, it should set your business, your teams and your potential recruits in the context of a larger narrative and give everyone something to feel inspired by.

Of course, every quest needs a hero. At Herd Freed Hartz Executive Search Firm, we see every person in every person and every role as heroic in some way. That’s why, as executive recruiters, we don’t seek out people to fill seats, we look for heros, to carry out your quest!

Getting Beyond Résumé Keywords

Keyword searches may be effective at screening out under-qualified candidates, but they do little to determine a candidate’s cultural suitability for a given role. That’s why we make it our business to not only accurately represent your brand, but to help you stand out against the competition in attracting the best prospective candidates and providing the most positive candidate experience.

Looking at Culture First

Though company culture itself is hard to quantify, its impact on candidate and overall company success is not. A 2016 McQuaig Global Talent Recruitment survey reported that 53% of failed hires fail because “the hire’s personality was not suitable to the role or company.” Even a candidate whose CV might make them the most technically qualified to a role can create costly disruption if their personality doesn’t match your company culture.

Creating a Positive Candidate Experience

Creating a positive candidate experience is more than a way to incorporate the Golden Rule into your business practice: it’s also an invaluable branding and marketing opportunity. A survey by Kelly Services UK found that 70% of applicants would discuss a negative candidate experience with family and friends and that 31% would go public. Depending on what your company does, potential candidates can also be potential customers!

Average 37 Days—It’s What We Do

Our time to candidate averages just 37 days, because we know your business can’t wait any longer. Vacancies can cut deep into your bottom line and at Herd Freed Hartz, we want to see you and your business experience the fullest of your potential. That’s probably why over 90% of our executive search work comes from return business or referrals.

Since 2001 HFH has been one of the most trusted retained executive search firms in the Pacific Northwest. Traditional means such as colleague referral or networking aren’t likely to find the right candidate or find them quickly enough. We see executive recruitment as an artform and part of the art is providing clients with one of the fastest times to candidate available.

If you’re tired of waiting for new executive talent to invigorate your company, contact HFH today.

For the Candidate: 7 Tips to Shine in the Eyes of Your Recruiter

Paul Freed on April 12, 2024

Looking for a new job is full of challenges all of which can be distilled to one essential struggle: making yourself stand out to recruiters. Even the most technically qualified candidate still has to impress a recruiter who is likely already inundated with nearly identical resumes. Keep reading for seven tips to help catch the eye of executive recruiters.

1. Do Your Homework and Be Prepared

Winging it might work out for a weddings toast (it might not), but it certainly won’t for a job interview. You already know that your resume and cover letter need to be tailored to the position you’re applying to. Your interview performance is no different. Show recruiters that you understand the company and its history. Recruiters are likelier to hire someone who shows they’re not just interested in a job, but a career.

2. Show Off Your Personality

You are more than just a resume. The best recruiters seriously consider personality when hiring, so let yours shine. In part, this means relaxing during your interview, showing enthusiasm and talking about your ideas, successes, and goals. It also means providing links to your portfolios and social media profiles. Be upfront with all the information recruitment teams are looking for. It should go without saying that you should clean up your social media profiles before sharing them with recruiters.

3. Project a Can-Do Attitude

All the qualifications in the world mean nothing with a bad attitude. In your cover letter, in your correspondence, and in your interview, project positivity and enthusiasm for the position and company you’re applying to. Attitudes are contagious and a healthy dose of passion and drive can trump experience when recruiters are comparing candidates.

4. Have a Real Conversation: Don’t Use Your Resume and Cover Letter as a Script

If you’re in an interview, there’s no need to list off bullet points from your resume and cover letter, your recruiter has already read both them. That’s why you’re there! Hand-in-hand with showing off your personality, sharing a real conversation shows off your dynamism and dimensionality.

5. Ask Questions Beyond Salary and Benefit Details

Prove to your recruiter that you’re not interested in a job, but the job that they’re hiring for. Certainly be prepared to discuss salary and benefits (remember, do your homework!), but focusing too narrowly on those topics will suggest to a recruiter that your interest in the position is solely monetary. Take the opportunity to learn as much as you can about the company and the position you’re applying to. Recruiters want to hire someone interested in the company and deliverables and you’ll gain a better sense whether the position is a good fit for you.

6. Show What You Can Offer the Company in Terms of Actual Work and Deliverables

Recruiters will want to know in measurable terms what you can offer the company. Answer the question before it’s asked. This can mean identifying a problem or need the company may have and outlining how you might resolve the problem or satisfy the need. Similarly, you can provide an example of the work you might do if hired: outline a marketing strategy; design a landing page; write a press release.

7. Focus on Accomplishments Rather than Skills

Job listings call for desired skills and characteristics. As a result, recruiters tend to see scores of similar looking resumes that simply list relevant skills. A great way to make you and your resume stand out is to describe measurable accomplishments made possible by your possession of those skills. How many people did you manage? How many clients did you serve? How much did you save or earn for the company? Precise information will make you stand out and give recruiters a much more precise sense of your capabilities.

Paper qualifications can only take an applicant so far on their own merit. If you have the experience, give yourself the edge and use these tips to shine in the eyes of recruiters.

If you’re searching for executive talent, contact us today.