Interviewing Top Candidates: How to Prepare

    LONDON, ENGLAND, April 07, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Regardless of the economic conditions, getting the best candidates into your company can sometimes prove to be a difficult. Candidates capable of hitting the ground running and adding value, are high in demand and sought after by numerous organisations.

Acquiring the right skills in a niche market takes a proactive approach from organisations vying for a small pool of talent. Due to this mix of in-demand, skilled employees, the majority of professionals are already in employment. For example, 80% of the candidates that Michael Page Buying & Merchandising placed in January 2012 were already in a job. Those people with the necessary skills and already in a secure job are often the most hesitant to change: a lack of confidence in the industry, fear of 'last in, first out', fuel and transport price hikes and impracticalities of relocating due to a rocky housing market, all play a part.

So the tactic hiring managers should use during the recruitment process are to highlight what defines them apart from the competition. This is especially true when they're attracting a niche, specialist talent already in a job. This has resulted in a change of dynamics at interview stage with the interview becoming a two-way street and candidates questioning why a business and role would be a good fit for them.

To ensure that hiring managers are able to sell their business to candidates, here are our top tips:

Branding - Have an understanding of how your brand is perceived in the market. Despite having marketing leading notch products and excellent customer services, it's vitally important to develop the perception of being the employer of choice. Define what keeps your employees engaged, motivated and progressing in their careers and communicate these factors at interview. The culture of the organisation, as well as the tangible benefits and opportunities both play a part in candidate decision making.

Knowing your competitors - For market positioning and USP definition, an awareness of how other brands are operating is essential. From their product and services ranges to an understanding of their internal culture, it helps to know what you're up against when vying for talent. Ask yourself why someone would choose to work for you rather than your competitors. It shouldn't be difficult to answer; presumably it's something you yourself thought about when you joined the business.

Listen to the candidate - Not everyone is motivated and excited by the same things. Figure out the reasons why a candidate is exploring the market and match the opportunities and benefits of your organisation to these points. If someone's motivated by work/life balance, explain your flexitime policy.

Being open and trasparent - Define your hiring process and communicate it to candidates. Let them know who they'll be meeting and how the different stakeholders and departments interface with your function. Explain why the role exists and the expectations for delivery. It's tempting to gloss over some of the less positive aspects, but for retention purposes it's important for potential employees to have the full picture. The experience a candidate has when interviewing with an organisation almost always defines the decision they'll make at offer stage.

Provide feedback - Nothing kills the positive feeling about an organisation and role more than radio silence after an interview. If candidates have bought into your organisation and vision it's important to keep the momentum going. Arrange second meeting as soon as possible, and if there is a genuine reason for delaying decisions, keep the interviewees updated.

The recruiter value-add

In a niche market that is lacking in the required skills, a good recruiter will be able to introduce candidates with the requisite expertise as well as:

- Assisting the employer in understanding the candidate's motivations and how to pitch the opportunity to them
- Managing expectations on the process and outcome
- Acting as a channel for feedback; candidates are often less guarded when they're not negotiating with a potential new employer
- Preparing candidates for the prospect of a counter-offer (increasingly prevalent in short-skilled markets) and how to handle the situation

Professionals who're aware that their expertise is in demand aren't shy about asking "what's in it for me?" Organisations wanting to secure top talent have to be prepared to answer this question, convincingly.

For more advice on attracting the top buying, merchandising and e-tail talent to your organisation, please get in touch with the team at Michael Page Buying & Merchandising.

Michael Page International has 35 years expertise in professional services recruitment. Over this period we've grown organically to establish ourselves as one of the best-known and most respected consultancy companies, employing more than 5,350 people in over 156 offices and 32 countries worldwide. For more information, please see the Michael Page website.

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