How to Sell Your Organization to a Job Candidate

The job search cycle is shortening. Baby boomers are retiring – and the population of replacement workers is smaller. Unemployment continues to decline. Skills gaps are growing wider in a number of industries.

In other words, qualified candidates are now calling the shots.

Make no mistake – the recruiting pendulum has swung. So if you’ve found a superstar with the ideal skills, personality and experience for the position, be aware that he may receive multiple offers – and you may have to fight for him.

To help you land the cream of the crop in a tight talent market, here is a quick list of strategies to sell your organization to a job candidate:

• Be your company’s greatest cheerleader. Today’s candidates aren’t simply looking for a job, they’re looking for a great job. At every stage of the hiring process – from initial job posting through offer acceptance – actively promote the upsides of your opportunity, including the unique opportunities and cultural benefits your organization offers, as well as the reasons the available opportunity is exceptional (specific ideas are listed below).
• Know what matters to candidates. Offering a competitive salary is important, but it’s not the only thing that matters to job seekers. Identify candidates’ “hot buttons” – intangibles which are just as important as money, such as:  challenging work; opportunity for advancement; location; flexible hours; a performance/salary review after six months; tuition reimbursement; occasional telecommuting days; professional development perks; and mentoring opportunities. Leverage these intangibles to sweeten the deal.
• Understand the job and why it’s exceptional.  Create a “performance profile” for the position, describing the major challenges which must be met to succeed.  Presenting an opportunity this way helps you to create “opportunity gaps,” which are significant differences between your position and others the job seeker may be considering.

• Position the opportunity as a career move.  Show job seekers the “What’s in it for me?”  Explain the job’s importance and key tasks in a creative way that appeals directly to a prospect’s career needs.  If you can convince a candidate that he would be passing on a major opportunity, you have a much better chance of winning him over.
• Trust your search to experts.  A recruiting firm like PrideStaff specializes in finding top talent, especially in positions or locations where great people are the hardest to find. We make hiring more successful by actively selling the upsides of your organization to qualified candidates. Best of all? You only pay a fee if you hire a candidate we refer, and we guarantee our results. Learn more about PrideStaff’s On Target fulfillment process today.