Recruitment - Attract Top Candidates
Tips to attract top candidates to your role
Attracting the best candidates to your organisation can be a highly competitive task, and securing top talent can significantly contribute to your business’s success.
There are some common concerns that candidates look out for when they are applying for roles, or continuing through the recruitment process. Below are some tips on how to attract a top candidate, and what to avoid in the recruitment process.
Recruitment - Attract Top Candidates
The Job Advertisement
Sell your brand and the role – Job ads that fail to sell the benefits of your workplace culture, of the role, and the benefits offered to employees can mean that candidates may quickly switch off and look for a more engaging opportunity. Be sure that you write dynamic ads that sell what is unique about your organisation or the opportunity.
Prepare a professional ad – ads that have spelling mistakes in them, or that fail to provide meaningful information can also cause candidates to overlook an opportunity. Ensure that you proofread your ads and present the key information in a clear format.
Avoid using too much jargon in your job ads. It is better to be clear, concise and accurately describe the role, rather than use “buzz words” that don’t convey clear information.
Keep the information provided to a minimum, provide enough detail to form an overview of the role, but not an exhaustive list of duties or requirements – as this can cause candidates to switch off. Often candidates looking for jobs are doing so from their phones – keep your audience captivated to avoid them scrolling on.
Recruitment - Attract Top Candidates
The Interview Process
Set clear expectations for your shortlisted candidates about what they can expect throughout the recruitment process. Communicate clear timelines to your candidates and stick to these. Avoid rescheduling interviews or failing to respond to candidates within the anticipated timeframes. If you don’t do this then you may lose candidates during the recruitment process, and it can make your organisation appear unprofessional or disorganised.
Be sure that what you have described about the role in the job ad is consistent with what you detail during the interview process. This can be a red flag to candidates if they feel that the role has been misrepresented.
Use the interview to sell your culture and organisation to the candidate – they are assessing you as much as you are assessing them. Ensure that what you present to the candidate is genuine and authentic – candidates do not want to be over-sold –if the candidate is appointed to the position, and the culture or the role does not match their expectations on commencement, then you risk them either leaving the role or becoming disillusioned about the culture.
Formalising the Offer
HR Advice Online supports many small businesses with our New Hire Package, which is designed to provide you with peace of mind knowing that the employment contract and associated documentation are current and compliant, creating a great experience for your new employee.
- Customised letter of offer for the position and your business/industry
- Over the phone advice and guidance from a qualified HR expert on appropriate conditions
- Award reference, pay rates, penalties and any other applicable inclusions
- New Starter Pack checklist
Want to make a great impression on your candidate when you offer them the role? Contact us to discuss our New Hire Package.
Need support running a great recruitment process?
Want to receive advice or support about writing successful job ads and /or running a great recruitment process? You can speak with our team for information and advice by contracting us at: [email protected] or 1300 720 004.
Information in HR Advice Online guides and blog posts is meant purely for educational discussion of human resources issues. It contains only general information about human resources matters and due to factors, such as government legislation changes, may not be up to date at the time of reading. It is not legal advice and should not be treated as such.
