A recruiting interview is two sides marketing themselves and examining if they have a match to work together. The interviewer analyzes if the candidates have the required technical skills or if their attributes fit the company culture. On the other side, the candidates also wonder if the company has good qualities and how it'll help them achieve their personal and professional goals.
Taking the software development market as an example, the hiring companies dispute globally for the best talents. So, if you want to stand out among other companies, what do you need to do to hire the best? What are the fundamentals for companies to sell themselves and attract the best talents?
The list below is the most important fundamentals that interviewers and companies should have to thrive in their recruiting efforts. The list doesn't include salary because we assume that the company will pay a fair market rate for the candidates' skills. If the company doesn't do that and the hires feel under-leveled or under-paid, dissatisfaction will set in, and you'll lose their trust. Once this happens, it's hard to turn around the relationship.
Mission and Vision
Mission and vision are the most powerful recruiting fundamentals. If you have a strong mission and vision, you have enough power to pull people to you. It's your job to paint a picture of your company's journey to the candidates. If they identify and want to be part of the journey, they'll want to work with you, even if the challenges are difficult.
Culture
Culture defines how the company handles good and bad situations and treats individuals, how people behave in their workday, its position in society, etc. People will want to work with you if you have a good culture. In addition, a great work culture profoundly impacts people's lives because you allow them to be a part of a great team.
Credibility
Badges of credibility are important to attract the best talents because the badges help establish trust. So if you have a good credible investor, an excellent team with great backgrounds and achievements, competition prizes, or whatever is good for you, don't be afraid to show them your credentials if they help you bring the talent. But, of course, take care to show them but not appear arrogant.
Branding
Branding, in this case, represents the company name, logo, colors, website domain, usernames on social media, and any other attributes that provide sensorial appeal to people. If the applicants feel the beauty of your branding, positive emotions arise in them, which increases their willingness to be part of that "beautiful" branding.
Product
Use your product to your advantage if you already have it. If the candidate becomes excited about your product, you've created a reason for a candidate to join your team. Of course, this only works if you believe in the product and can express your passion during the conversation.
Recruiters with deep business, domain, and product knowledge can sell and engage better with candidates.
Recruiting Playbook
A good interview process tells the candidates how you take care of them—it also means a lot about your culture. Create a playbook that shows candidates what they can expect from the recruiting process and what is in/out of scope for the role. Also, share with them the timeline of the interview process. It signals your organization, how you respect their time, and that you know what you're looking for.
You
The last fundamental: you. Anyone joining your company is joining because of how you make them feel and how passionate and trustworthy you are. The important point here is your authenticity and personality. Authentic leaders attract authentic people, which is an enormous advantage to keep strengthening the company's culture. The real you can polarize people, which is good: it helps filter for those who work well alongside you.
Also, share your story. The way you share your account, the hardships you've been through, your wins and losses, and your passions can leave a more profound impression on the candidates. The more relatable you are with them, the more they'll feel a personal connection with you.
Another important point is how energic you are. Exuding energy when you speak with candidates is everything. You'll positively impact them if you're upbeat, excited, and enthusiastic. Conversely, if you're disengaged in an interview, they'll feel that you're not interested in them—and it'll potentially cost you a recruit.
So these are the fundamentals for interviewers to sell themselves best to attract talents during the interview. What did you think about them? Do you have some other fundamentals that you would add? If yes, please, tell me about it. I'll be happy to add them to my recruiting playbook.