Start the conversation right!

You need to make a good first impression, so if using recruiters then make sure you spend time to refine the introductory conversation before you reach out. Have a clear elevator pitch and consider the most likely questions such as tech stack, culture and the types of opportunities for candidates to come in and help with. From experience, a lack of information given to, and collaboration with your recruitment partner will lead to a poor pitch, so hiring managers have to put in the time to get it right.

Let candidates meet smart people

Think about who is on the panel interviewing, who are the smartest people in your organisation that will help give a great impression. There is nothing worse than sitting through an interview and the company reps give a boring account of what you are about. If remotely interviewing, see if you can record the calls so that it’s possible to review how your staff have handled the situation, or have a trusted employee passionate about recruitment sat in to take notes on how the interview could be improved in future.

It’s a two-way deal

It’s clear what you want from the candidate but focus on what is important to them. Money is a low common denominator when you are presented with similar options as an engineer, but opportunities for growth and having a plan for improvement understood before making an offer is more likely to swing the deal. If they want training, offer it as part of the process. If they want to grow skills in certain technologies or soft skills then get them into the right space, even if it means passing them to another hiring manager in your organisation. You are more likely to secure them if you are trying to embed them in a way that is win-win for both parties.

Explain what makes them special

Not all candidates are equal, be explicit what makes them attractive to you and your organisation. If you don’t give clear feedback and focus on the fact they have JavaScript or AWS on their CV then you will struggle to stand out when the offers flow in for a good candidate. They stand out to you, so call it out and stand out to them.

Act fast and be decisive!

If you want them, make the decision and go for it. Make sure that offers are ready to be made before you reach a final interview. Having to wait a week for approval to offer is internal bureaucracy that candidates will sniff out as a smell and take another offer. Like it or not, the market dictates that you act fast, it’s common for good people to have several offers on the table at once and the money isn’t always going to swing it if someone can tell the culture isn’t right or they are just going to be a cog in a machine.