Sunday July 18th, 2010
Getting candidates who don't reflect your brand? Ask these 5 questions.

You may be getting lots of candidates - from your recruiting agency, recruiting team, or company website - who look great on paper, but if they just aren't a good fit for your company, you're not attracting the right people. 

A hamster may fit in the shoes of the previous person in the role, but ultimately he's not going to be able to walk in them very effectively.

Anyone who's worked in recruiting for more than 5 minutes is familiar with the problem:  The client - internal or external - gives you a set of criteria for a role (skills, experience, education, etc.); you find candidates who fit the criteria to a tee and send them on interviews, only to have them rejected one after the other.

You ask the client for feedback, and all they can say is "He wasn't a good fit." 

After Rejected Candidate #10, you try to pin the client down, but the client's still talking vaguely about 'fit'.

RECRUITER:  "But, Ms Client,  he had all the criteria you asked for, and I know he presents well in interviews.  So can you give me some more specific feedback?"

CLIENT:  "I just think we're kind of a dynamic environment here, and he seemed too conservative or something."

RECRUITER:  (sigh)

Clients understand about brand personality and how it's expressed through employees.
They just don't always know how to articulate it to recruiters.

Recently, American Apparel generated a lot of negative buzz  in the blogosphere when their recruiting and hiring practices were made public.  Former employees say that American Apparel only recruits/hires good-looking people, even if they're incompetent; American Apparel says they hire people with a good fashion 'style', and that it's perfectly reasonable to want employees in a retail clothing chain to reflect the spirit of the brand.

Both groups have a point:  No one should be rejected out-of-hand simply because they don't conform to some perceived stereotype of 'beauty'; at the same time, we all know that employees are the most effective marketing tools organizations have - so they need to reflect the brand just as consistently and positively as other marketing efforts.

But 95% of clients aren't marketing professionals themselves, so they don't always know how to articulate feedback beyond talking about "fit". 

And of course most employers are petrified that if they talk about a candidate's appearance or personality or style, it'll come across as discrimination and they'll be in big trouble.  But saying "Our brand is all about being unobtrusive, serious and discreet; an employee with a green mohawk doesn't reflect our corporate values" is the same as "Our brand is all about being unobtrusive, serious and discreet, which is why we require all our client-facing staff to wear suits and ties at all times."

5 questions to help you identify the candidates with the 'fit' the client is looking for

Asking these 5 questions before the sourcing starts will help reduce the amount of candidates rejected on the basis of 'fit'.

1. In terms of your organization's personality, would you say you're more like Google or more like a big bank?
2. You've given me the required skillls, experience and education for this role.  What about personality and temperament?  Do you need someone who thrives on change, deadlines and adrenaline, or someone more slow-and-steady?
3. If you could choose 3 words to describe the ideal candidate, what would they be?  How do these relate to the company's overall brand and positioning?
4. What kind of personal 'style' seems to be most successful in your office?  Quiet and reserved, or outgoing and effusive?
5. Do new employees get training/guidelines about 'living the brand'?  Can I see a copy of these?

These questions not only ensure the client rejects fewer candidates on 'fit' - they'll generate better feedback when they do.

Tags

agencies   branding   candidate experience   corporate recruiting   employment brand   news   newsfeed   Recruiters   recruiting   recruitment brand  

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About the Authors

Paul Dodd
Co-founder and President
Head2Head Canada

Paul has one simple goal: To help companies hire great people - and get the most out of every recruiting dollar they spend. That's why he's recognized as one of the best recruitment-industry thinkers in Canada.

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