I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Maya Angelou
HR leaders and recruiters, if you have just one recruiting goal for next year, let it be to focus on the human aspect of human resources. Technology is often moving so quickly that we can barely keep up. Even when technology serves us well, is properly implemented, and is built on a stable, solid recruiting process, it cannot replace the human aspect of recruiting and hiring. At the end of the day, if we’re not thinking in terms of the individual people who have real lives and real needs, we’re not really serving our purpose.
Humans Are Your Most Important Resource
When the laptops in a department are outdated, it’s relatively simple to contact your IT firm, get recommendations, and purchase replacements. Equipment is undemanding. It doesn’t ask for time off, provide for sick kids, or want a vacation. But it’s all of the complexity and messiness of being human that makes people such great assets to your organization – and when you recognize and honor them for their humanity and life outside of the workplace, you engender a level of loyalty and dedication that contributes in measurable and immeasurable ways to the success of your business. You can pay your employees more, offer flexible work schedules, and provide great benefits, but if there is no follow through in the way your people are treated day to day by their managers, you’re fighting a losing battle. Competition for great talent is only going to get tougher in years to come. If you want to attract and keep good people, then make it a part of your culture to value every person.
Treat the People You Don’t Hire Just as Well
The people who take the time to interview with your company but do not get hired are just as important as your employees. How you treat candidates throughout the interview process – respecting their time, communicating clearly with them, and choosing the best means of telling them they did not get the job – all make a difference in how they view your brand and organization and what they say to others who may want to work for you. Be willing to provide guidance to a promising candidate who perhaps needs to hone their interviewing skills, update their LinkedIn profile, or clean up their résumé. Cultivate the person not just so they’ll be a better candidate for your organization but so they’ll be a better addition to the workforce no matter where they end up working.
Give Candidates and Employees the Chance to Fulfill their Potential
Foster growth by recognizing and encouraging potential. If someone interviews for a position with your company and they are a strong candidate but not right for that position, reach out to a hiring manager who can benefit from their talents – and if you don’t have a strong Silver Medalist Program, consider implementing one. Once you bring in new employees, from the time they onboard until the time they opt to leave your company, listen to them. Find out what their aspirations are, and provide the training, promotional opportunities, and professional development necessary to help them get where they want to be.
The people you hire are not just resources you can replace with a requisition order. As the lifeblood of your organization, the energy, enthusiasm, creativity, and skills each person brings to your organization provides a value on which you can’t put a price.
At Beacon Lane Consulting, we define Recruiting Excellence as the right hire, for the right role, at the right time, for the right cost…every time. While this concept often seems ambitious, we continue to help clients work towards this through the ideal blend of process standardization and innovation, resulting in the most aspirational candidate experience. If you are looking for a way to achieve iconic recruiting excellence, get in touch. We’d love to help.
