A few birds, one stone? Try using the candidate interview as a platform for finding hires to fill your open reqs and to leverage your talent’s networks to make even more connections.
Here’s a tag line we’ll try to coin: If you’re not using your network, you’re losing your net worth. In other words, recruiters, if you’re not curious enough to comb through deepest trenches of your network and your network’s networks, someone else will be, running the risk of losing out on undiscovered qualified talent.
Build your connections and measure someone’s qualification for the role by poking around during the candidate interview. Try these questions to start:
What industry blogs are you currently reading?
Here’s a good way to measure if they’re aware of fellow companies and competitors in the same space, and if they’re keeping up with the latest industry news and developments. These blogs could also be a prime resource for finding and poaching candidates, especially if you’re recruiting content marketers but don’t limit yourself to the obvious suspects like article writers, webinar presenters, or other “faces” of the company. The comments section could surprisingly be laden with talent, if you’re persistent and keep a close eye. If you’re hiring for other roles, these blogs can serve as a starting point to delve deeper into the network to find other employees in other departments, and to find additional candidates through their networks, too.Who’s your favorite writer? Public speaker? Marketer?
This question also gauges a candidate’s awareness of the industry, and can give you a sense of who they look up to, what their interests are, and to what quality they potentially hold their own work. This one’s similar to the previous question, but is a quicker line to the source, or the source’s network of potential candidates.
Any forums, discussion boards, comments sections you’re active on, or that recently sparked your interest?
The question might throw ‘em for a loop, but consider how frequently you read an article and find yourself learning more about an event or issue through the discussion in the comments. Along with the article’s original writer, the conversation that follows is a talent pool free-for-all, as it is a good source to find candidates who are privy to industry news and have bold, articulate communication skills. Remember to keep your outreach as tactful, tasteful, and tailored as you would in an email.What are you doing this week/weekend?
Or more specifically, what’s the next networking event you have planned? Meetups, conferences, and open-invite meetings are key places to get a better understanding of what others in the same industry are up to and to extend your network to potential candidates and people who know others looking for a new opportunity.
If you’re able to get a few good, insightful answers to these questions, you’ve likely discovered a pretty solid candidate worthy of an offer and someone who may be willing to extend their network. In the midst of the end-of-year interviewing and hiring hustle, making the most of your time spent with people coming into your office can help keep the top of the funnel in a perpetual state of motion so a solid candidate pool is always at your disposal – even if you don’t end up adding the interviewee to the team. Making a cordial, honest break from a candidate who turned out to be unfit for the company can influence if and how they introduce you to someone whom they believe will work out better for the team. Build the relationship over time and frequently check back on their network and skills, especially if you ended up adding the candidate to your legends list.
Want to learn more about setting up candidates for success, even before you officially make the hire? Check out our webinar with Greenhouse!
