Hiring Wisdom: What Did It Cost Your Last Applicant to Interview?

Here’s the premise:

1. Most of the best people who want to work are working.

2. You would prefer to hire someone who is working.

3. You (or the hiring manager) only conduct face-to-face interviews during normal business hours.

4. This means the applicant has to take time off of work, and:

a. If they are hourly employees, they won’t be paid for the hours missed.

b. If they are salaried, they will have to use sick leave or vacation time.

c. In both cases, they will probably have to lie to their present employer in order to interview with you.

5. Even if they do manage to clear these hurdles, they have no guarantee you’ll make an offer of employment.

Give applicants compelling reasons to interview with you

Would you be willing to pay an entry-level, hourly applicant $40 or $50 for four hours of their time just to show up for the interview? How about a nurse, a programmer, or an inside salesperson’s half-day’s wages of $150 or as much as $400? What makes you think the best people will shell out that kind of time and money for YOU?

If your organization really wants to be an Employer of Choice, how is this vision served by your present employee recruiting and selection process?

Conclusion: You need to give potential employees compelling reasons to interview with you – or they really need to hate the job they have! (Read my blog post: “What Is Your Unique Employment Proposition?”)

PS — I can’t tell you how many hiring managers have complained to me about applicants who fail to show for the interview. My question to them is: “Why should they?”

This was originally published in the July 2013 Humetrics Hiring Hints newsletter.