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Are you like the Marines and want a few good men and women, or you are looking for casts of thousands? Do you want top talent at all levels or will you accept candidates based on the mirror-fogging test?

Believe it or not some businesses are actually driving away the very top candidates they desire to recruit because of their hiring and recruiting methods. One of the feelings is that the selection process sets the tone for the work experience.

DRIVING AWAY TALENTED CANDIDATES

So what are companies doing to drive away the talented candidates they are trying to recruit? More and more, people are critical of many companies hiring practices and the lack of interviewing skills. Such as:

- interviewers are not prepared and not focused during interviews.

- lack of feedback on the status of their candidacy.

- lack of written position descriptions or that descriptions differed from one interviewer to another within the same company.

- employers fail to appreciate the time and energy candidates put into the process.

- the entire interviewing process is too long and complicated with an unreasonable amount of time before a decision is made.

WHAT TO DO?

1. Treat job candidates more like prospects than applicants. Project a positive image consistent with your culture.

2. Know what you're looking for and communicate expectations clearly. You can't communicate to interviewers what you want unless it is clearly defined in advance; conduct a competency analysis.

3. Train everyone who interviews. Use your competency analysis to create a clear structured interview. Feedback from candidates indicates that this kind of approach demonstrates professionalism.

4. Interviews should be a professional exchange of information. Don't use weird, unusual, hypothetical, or illegal questions, these questions turn off candidates.

5. Make sure all interviewers are fully briefed on the position, expectations, and salary range. Keep your story clear and straight.

6. Establish a strategy early in the process and ensure everyone follows the process. Make the time- frame and procedures clear from the start.

7. Don't let the process go on too long. Here is a tip that can save you a lot of time and reduce your process time. Research shows that more than four interviewers adds no value to the final decision. So why do companies make the process so long? Lack of confidence in the process.

8. Keep candidates informed about the status of the process.

Moral: Employers need to polish their interview skills and have a system in place that is professional and expeditious. Companies that improve their practices can expect to gain a competitive advantage in recruiting the best and brightest.