Picture this: your organization is growing. It’s an exciting time to recruit some major visionaries who will help transform your company. You’ve got a brand-new position to hire for and are ready to meet with the hiring manager. Amid all the excitement, you realize…you have no idea how to recruit for this position. You’re not even sure how to describe it! Don’t panic.
If you’re just starting out as a recruiter, chances are you’ll start hiring some senior-level professionals. Sometimes these higher-level positions will be above your understanding. That’s okay! With a little planning and strategizing, you can fill these seemingly intimidating positions with ease. Follow these 5 tips when hiring for an unfamiliar position!
Rule #1 – Do Your Research
Whenever in doubt…Google it. Research should be your first line of defence when you don’t know much about a position. If you really don’t know where to start, review the position description and look up the basics about the job online. Familiarize yourself with a candidate's soft and hard skills in this position. Highlight the important ones like SQL expertise or management experience. From there, you’ll better understand what the candidate might look like in real life.
This position may have existed in the past in your organization. If so, do some internal digging as well. Exit interviews are often underutilized when understanding the psyche and motivations of a former employee in this position. Gain valuable insights into their perceptions of the job, what competitors offered them, and their view of management.
Of course, this won’t be a perfect science. Exit interview participation is only around 30% to 35% in most organizations. Still, these responses can help you paint a full picture of your future candidate in this position.
Rule #2 – Find a Subject Matter Expert
Advice from professionals is invaluable when you’re not sure where to start. If this position or a similar position already exists at your company, ask a professional on the team if you can pick their brain. Come to your meeting prepared with questions about their work history and experience. Ask about their hard and soft skills. Be upfront and ask them for any other additional advice based on their experience.
Since your candidate is going to join their team, this is also a great time to ask them what resources they need on their team. You can learn a lot from them based on what they say about the team culture. Your candidate can also help bridge common skill gaps on their team. Consider the fact that 87% of companies claim they have a skill gap now or expect to experience one in a few years. Whether it’s coding experience or Google Tag Manager expertise, a professional inside your organization can tell you not only who the candidate should be but what they’ll need to succeed.
Rule #3 – Shadow
Despite your preparation, your head might still be spinning. After meeting with a SME (subject matter expert), ask if you can sit in on their afternoon. Take notes on their day-to-day operations and what skills are required to complete them. Watching their daily routine will help you think of questions for the candidate. If the professional has a little more time, they can even give you a quick tutorial on how they code or create digital ads.
Rule #4 – Stay Confident
Once you’ve done your due diligence, it’s time to start selecting and interviewing candidates. If you’re seeking specialized hard skills, you may encounter a shallow candidate pool. If this is the case, you’ll want to open the position requirements further by evaluating the candidate’s behaviour and soft skills. Keep scouting out professionals on different job boards. You never know who you may find! After all, 70% of job seekers are passively looking, so a message can help nudge a qualified candidate in your direction. Finding top talent isn’t impossible, but it will take a little extra digging for specialized roles.
Once you’re in the interview with the candidate, remember all that you learned from the experts and apply it to your recruiting process. Come prepared with all the resources you gathered from your research and mock interview. You’ll want not only to communicate this information to the candidate, but you also have to sell it to them. Work on building a rapport with this candidate, even if their skill set intimidates you.
Rule #5 – Sign up for Oomple
The future of work means you’ll interview candidates with diverse skill sets and experiences outside of your comfort zone. Your future candidate could even be an on-demand professional. In the upcoming years, 73% of hiring managers plan to hire more freelancers. Their ability to fill talent gaps, support your team, and save you overhead costs may just be the reason your next hire is an on-demand one.
Oomple can help you with that. Our team matches your organization with vetted and skilled on-demand candidates. Whether you’re looking for on-demand or permanent talent, you can hire freelancers in finance, marketing, tech, and much more. Book a call with one of our Account Managers to get started on Oomple today!