From Finding the Right Candidate to Closing the Deal

The hiring process for selecting the crème de la crème candidate is a challenging endeavor. That is why there is no room for error once a potential new employee has been vetted and interviewed.

Recruiters are responsible for nurturing relationships between candidates and hiring managers with decision-making authority. It’s not just talent acquisition required to keep clients happy anymore because talent retention is a major objective due to the current work climate.

Getting Started

Recruiters should always stay active and learn lessons from each successful hiring or when a suitable candidate declined an offer.

Regardless of the specific role filled, the recruiter should work to provide direct but engaging interactions while chatting with candidates. Even if that means striking a balance explaining to a client that uses a short interview cycle with quick turnaround to show more patience and trust the process planned. Don’t be intimidated and share your reasoning with the client and why the structure will succeed.

There are three core problems that prevent recruiters from closing their candidate:

  • Lack of understanding when qualifying candidates
    Recruiters should remember that quality over quantity serves as an acceptable mentality while filtering applicants. Ideally, a role only needs to be replaced that one time, with a qualified and motivated candidate the company can retain for a longer duration.Finding ways to foster an engaging interview and hiring process with a candidate can initially prove daunting.
  • Inability to engage effectively with technical talent
    Determining what the candidate is looking for when accepting a job offer isn’t for the initial discovery call – but is important in the follow-up rounds. It’s the opportunity for a recruiter to identify what incentives will make a particular offer worth signing over another.Is it a higher financial compensation level? Excitement for a specific project? Access to remote work or hybrid office agreement? Receiving feedback to thought-provoking questions allows the candidate to think about what matters, while the recruiter can quickly identify what priorities look like.It’s important to be receptive to all indicators but tread carefully about making a promise that isn’t a serious offer. Candidates understand the current job market and they will act accordingly – qualified job seekers have found their voice and aren’t afraid to use it.
  • Uncertainty when positioning new roles
    Everything should be on the table as part of the recruiting process and following your internal notes from the hiring experience is necessary. If noticeable trends are detected, then the team can make changes while filling new roles. Are there a significant number of candidates withdrawing during a specific point in the hiring process? For example, are candidates failing a technical assessment, or are they just choosing to self-withdraw and not finish the assigned task?
The IT Hiring Market

In October, IT employment dipped 0.14% over September’s numbers, according to the TechServe Alliance Employment Index. While there have been small month-to-month variances, IT employment has been effectively flat for more than a year. While headlines may say that there are significant economic headwinds, but it’s important for businesses to understand that the 2.3% unemployment rate for IT show that the lack of growth in IT jobs is not a demand issue. There are simply not enough people to fill the vacant jobs.

Final Thoughts

A recent TechServe webinar, “Closing Candidates Like a Champ,” explored techniques and strategies to close the right candidate. For access, please click HERE.

Training should be constant as there is never enough information or experience absorbed as part of the recruitment experience. It is critical to hire the right person for the right role – and have the tools required to close highly sought-after candidates from the job pool.

Create a strategy and put that newly learned improved skill set to good use!

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