Q. I’m an HR manager of a medium-sized company in the UAE. I find it a struggle to attract top quality professionals, and to judge them properly before hiring. It would be great if you could give me some tips on how I should do this. – Jia. R A.
An organization is only as good as its employees. Today’s job market is so competitive that it can get difficult to pinpoint talented professionals. Finding top talent could feel like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but it doesn’t have to. Here are five easy ways to help you hire great candidates for your company:
Usually talented professionals have a very clear vision of where they want to be, thus, they need to know exactly what their role in the company would be. It’s advisable to rectify any vagueness in your job description, and highlight any challenging aspects of the role in order to attract highly talented candidates. Five in 10 professionals would want to work for a place where they feel their work is part of a greater purpose according to the Bayt.com 'What Makes a Company an Attractive Place to Work?' poll, February 2014. Another trick is to make your language less formal and more personal. Try using “you” as much as possible, with phrases such as “you will be responsible for” or “you should be experienced in”.
Depending on the nature of the job, you could ask either technical or behavioral questions. However, it is best to utilize interview time to be creative and ask clever questions, instead of standard ones, such as “tell me more about yourself”. You could discuss case studies or potential scenarios related to the job. For example, “if you ever disagreed with your manager on a particular project, how would you handle it?” It is easier to evaluate candidates on specific, rather than general questions. Another great way to evaluate a candidate is by giving them a task to do. For example, if you are hiring for the position of a social media content writer, you could ask the candidate to come up with five posts that they could put on the page within 24 hours, and evaluate on that basis.
Often, references mentioned on the CV are biased and would not provide accurate accounts about the candidate’s past. Instead, you could ask the candidate for their direct boss or supervisor’s contact details, or their HR manager’s details. These people are likely to be more honest with their recommendation.
In order to attract talented professionals, you need to brand yourself as a company that values its employees. Nowadays, social media is proving to be a great employer branding platform, with endless opportunities to share your company culture, news, updates, photos and much more. In fact, 76% of professionals will always turn to the internet to research a company when considering a job opportunity, according to the Bayt.com 'What Makes a Company an Attractive Place to Work?' poll, February 2014. Bayt.com has recently launched Premium Company Profiles for employers, through which you can attract qualified job seekers by engaging with them and letting them know why your company is a top employer. The intention is to connect you with your target job seeker audience. By offering regular insights into your organization you start to build a community of top-notch potential candidates.
Cultural fit has gained increased prominence among hiring managers recently. An assessment of the cultural fit allows a recruiter to go beneath the surface of a candidate’s skills, qualifications, and relevant experience to determine whether the candidate’s “on-the-job” behavior is consistent with the values and expectations of the organization. As a hiring manager, you want to hire the job applicant who, in addition to the required skills and qualifications, exhibits the best fit within your organization’s culture.
