It’s a competitive time to be hiring, and you are no doubt feeling the strain. Any edge you can get in hiring is probably much appreciated.
In this month’s newsletter, how to appeal to the younger population entering the workforce, how to hire for integrity (a la Warren Buffet), and what a recruiter like me can do for you in this hyper-competitive hiring market.
Gen Z Wants to Learn
As Gen Z moves into pole position in the workforce, what can employers do to attract young, fresh talent?
Give them opportunities to learn within your organization.
Both anecdotal evidence (including mine, in my conversations every day with job seekers as a Executive Recruiter) and actual data back this up. LinkedIn recently released a Workforce Confidence Index Research that proved younger workers consider “increased learning opportunities” a key factor in their decisions.
If your learning and development (L&D) org isn’t getting proactive about internal training initiatives, it should be. And if you don’t have an L&D team — you should!
How to Hire for Integrity
Warren Buffett has always said that there are three critical characteristics he looks for when hiring any employee:
Intelligence
Initiative
Integrity
While the first two might be easy enough to parse from prior work experience and an interview, how do you know if a potential hire has integrity? You obviously can’t just ask someone straight out, “Hey, do you have a lot of integrity?” But there are things to look for in their background and demeanor that can be very telling.
For instance, a person with integrity is honest. Look for a degree of candor in the interview that makes you feel like this person is telling the truth.
Part of being honest is being able to admit when they’ve made a mistake. So look for candidates who are upfront about their mistakes and have clearly learned from them.
A good recruiter can help you discern candidates who have intelligence, initiative and integrity. We make it our job to curate the right candidate list for you so that you don’t have to weed out the red flags on your own.
As a recruiter for 12+ years, I make it my business to read people.
What a Recruiter Can Do For You
A recruiter can save you a lot of time and effort in the early rounds of hiring. We specialize in screening candidates with initial communication. But what exactly do we find out?
Every recruiter is different, and I can only speak for myself, but, I think this is a pretty good summary of what any recruiter might ask. I ask things like:
What’s your background?
Why are you leaving your current job?
What are you looking for in a new job?
What are your particular skills and talents?
What’s your timeline?
What salary range works for you?
With these type of questions out of the way, I can then recommend candidates with confidence that they are likely to get a good fit. Your job is to come in and assess for culture fit, ask many detailed questions, and make a final judgment call on whom to hire.
Recommended Reading
From Tech Funnel: 30 Ways to Recruit Candidates Virtually
A provocative piece on Slate: Companies Are Desperate for Workers. Why Aren’t They Doing the One Thing That Will Attract Them?
Until next month, be well!
James Johnson
Johnson Recruiting Group