How to Find the Right Candidate for the Job

There’s no feeling quite like finding a unicorn candidate. For many HR team members, finding the perfect candidate for an open position seems like a dream. There are too many open jobs and too few candidates that fit the bill. 

While it can seem like a fantasy, hiring an employee that checks off most if not all of your boxes is possible. The majority of companies just aren’t recruiting the right way. Today we’ll be discussing how you can find the right candidate for the job — without resorting to methods that break the bank.

Tips for Finding the Right Candidate for the Job

Oftentimes, finding your unicorn candidate comes down to process. By fine-tuning your recruitment process, finding the right candidate for each role can turn from fantasy to reality. Here are a few important tips for optimizing your process.

Create a Stellar Job Description

The first step to any successful traditional recruitment process is a good job description/job advertisement. Before creating your job ad, make sure you know exactly what you’ll need from your new employee. What duties will they be taking up? Will they need to be full or part-time? What metrics should they help fill? After the HR team has reached a consensus, it’s time to get to work.

A superb job description should have personality, be professional and written without errors, and be open about all aspects of the job. Tell applicants exactly what they’ll be doing so that expectations are clear from the start. If you have the ability to list starting salaries, do so. Most seasoned applicants will be instantly turned off by a lack of salary, as it’s usually a sign of low pay. Hitting these boxes will be more appealing to qualified candidates—including the one that’s a perfect fit.

Source to Fit Your Need

Unless you have the means, or the position warrants it, don’t blindly post your ad on every popular job aggregate. Your talent pool may grow, but the quality of the average candidate will suffer. Instead, select your job aggregators carefully, with attention to the metrics they target. Our own PandoExchange can allow you to access an exclusive network of sites, that can drive superior candidates towards your advertisement. 

Remove Bias and Utilize AI Software

Resume screening and background check can be a tedious process — but there’s more risk in screening than initially meets the eye. Bias during the initial phase of the recruitment process can cause top talent to be cast to the side and can mar your organization’s reputation. 

In the latter portion of the hiring process, interviewers can be a source of human bias as well. A recent Forbes report found that around 60% of interviewers make their decision within the first 20 minutes of an interview before the candidate has really shown the interviewer who they are.

To avoid this, train your recruiters to ignore unnecessary personal details — and retrain them regularly. This should help eliminate bias both during interviews and during the initial resume screening. 
Recruiting with AI tools such as resume screening software and/or a remote interview program can also help to remove bias. Human bias goes out the window completely when certain tasks are replaced with AI recruiting software. On top of that, artificial intelligence’s flexibility allows it to take a more complex approach to tasks, learn as it works, and collect data to dispense to the HR team.

Source Passive Candidates

When it comes to untapped potential, passive candidates provide a sizable risk, but an equally sizable reward. To draw passive candidates towards your organization takes more resources; they’re not actively searching for work, and so probably won’t come across your ads or advertising. Your company needs to research them, and contact them directly. Direct contact assures the candidate that they’re worth your time and effort and will help hook them from the first email. 

This is worth the extra expenditure. Less skill-based training is necessary for a passive candidate, recouping the higher sourcing cost. Passive candidates that respond and are brought into the fold are consistently superior talent, with excellent experience and workplace skills.

Find the Right Candidates with PandoLogic

If you’re looking to grow your talent pool while improving average candidate quality, look no further than PandoLogic’s AI software toolbox. We have the most often utilized programs for every stage of the recruitment process while allowing you to stay well within your budget.

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