Are You Sure You’re Impressing Candidates?

Every CEO group I work with has a similar need; to find new talent for their growing organizations. …A bit fatigued, somewhat deflated and definitely skeptical, they tend to look outwardly for solutions when I submit that their best options are well within their grasp.

First, it’s important you understand how someone finds, acquaints themselves with and then determines whether your company is of interest to them.

More than 90% of people say they are interested in hearing about a career opportunity. The more the message is personalized and from a senior person in your company or the person the candidate would work for, the better.

Candidates spend time, 1-2 months, gathering information on a company before applying. Rushing someone because you have an opening that you need to fill immediately may turn them off rather than excite them to make a move.

You or someone in your organization needs to be ready to have a conversation with a potential candidate.

In Kate Reilly’s blog post, 5 Insights from LinkedIn’s Latest Research on What Candidates Want she highlights what LinkedIn learned from talking with 14,000 professionals from 28 countries. One highlight? Your website and LinkedIn are the leading resources candidates rely on to gain information about you and your company.

What candidates expect to see on your website:

• An updated website with responsive design
• An easy to navigate job opportunities/careers page
  • Testimonials from employees
  • Showcase company culture and employees
• A clear mission, vision and value statement.
• Social icons to take them to your social channels

What candidates expect to see on your LinkedIn Company Page:

• A number of followers
• Who they know at your company
• The executives, recruiters, and others they would work with and report to
• Executive LinkedIn profiles that are authentic, well-written and provide context
• Posts that position the company as an industry leader, preferred employer and inspired member of particular communities.  
• Engagement with others on their posts

In a larger company, candidates expect to see:

• A Careers Page showcasing culture and employees
• Job posts and “Easy to Apply”
• Active recruiters who respond quickly and connect

Beyond your website, LinkedIn, and contacts, HR influences whether candidates become or remain interested in your company.

• Do job descriptions sound like they’re from 1999?
  • Is the language engaging and reflect what’s important to different people?  
  • Do the job descriptions include keywords to increase the job posting’s visibility?
• Does your HR department understand LinkedIn and social channels to use to reach your ideal candidates?
• Does HR focus on continual candidate pipelining?

Have you checked out how you look on Glassdoor? If you’ve received less than favorable feedback on Glassdoor, understand why and think about what needs to change to encourage more positive feedback. Don’t go overboard on outlier posts and don’t ask your current employees to go in and write positive comments. That only fuels the fire. Rather, acknowledge it, change what may be valid and focus on what is good that can overtake the Glassdoor entries in a search.

Be sure to complete our Website, Company Page, and HR Assessment Guide to fully evaluate your company’s appearance online and determine if your company is appealing to candidates.

If you evaluate where you are today and begin to increase how you show up, you will more positively position your company as an employer of choice. Next, do you know how to gain traction in the interview process? I’ll cover that in an upcoming post.

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