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15 Step Recruiting Process and Quality Tools

15 Step Recruiting Process

1: Conduct a Needs Analysis - We begin by conducting a complete analysis that establishes the key attributes of an ideal candidate profile.  Together we identify the knowledge, skills, experience and competencies for the position.  We also help you determine the aptitudes and behaviors deemed most appropriate for someone to be successful position, those that are characteristic of others in your organization who are currently top performers in the same or similar roles.  On that foundation we add the detailed responsibilities for the position and also what deliverables or outcomes will be expected within 6 months and 12 months from the date of hire.

2: Determine How to Present Opportunity - We then determine the most effective approach for marketing your opportunity.  What is particularly exciting about this position and what is the sizzle that will attract top candidates to consider tackling this assignment?  What does the position offer in the way of career challenges?  What opportunities are there for professional growth, promotions and personal satisfaction that will motivate a top performer to resign their current position to come work for us?

How do you want your company positioned?  What is your current standing in the industry and in this market?  What about the company makes it a valuable addition to any candidate who is seeking to increase their value in the marketplace?  How does this specific position relate to, and make a meaningful contribution to, the organization’s growth and profitability? 

3: Create Search Assignment Profile - Based on the information we collect in steps 1 and 2, we then create the Search Assignment Profile that details the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How of the assignment.  It includes such areas as who is included on the hiring team, what are their roles, what is the time frame for the entire search, including the time allotted for each step, if there are any specific candidates (by name) who should be pursued, or those who should be avoided, and similarly, companies where likely candidates might be found to include or exclude.   Also, elements like whether the position should be advertised, and if so, what types of mediums or specific media will be most effective and what budget has been established, etc.

The Search Assignment Profile also incorporate a “progress tracking“ element and “sign-off” component to ensure that the hiring team is informed and that the process is tightly controlled as it moves forward.  This document provides for the possibility of “adjustments” that occur during search assignments and helps to manage the change control process to prevent misunderstandings and wasted efforts due to miscommunications.  We provide this document to the client project manager within 48 hours of the completion of step 2 and forward it for review, revision and sign-off.  For more information, ask for a copy of the Search Assignment Profile.

4: Research Companies and Candidates - Once we have received the Search Assignment Profile, we assemble our internal project team and begin research for targeted candidates and companies.  Our researchers are drawn from a national team of over 200 trained professionals with industry specific expertise. Their success, like ours, is tied to their performance.  In addition to their extensive technical skills and industry specific knowledge, they have access to proprietary search software that other firms do not have access to and they use techniques that many researchers are not even aware of.

Once the research is completed we will send it to you for your review to confirm that it does not contain organizations or individuals that you would prefer we not contact due to existing business relationships or other reasons.  At this time you also have an opportunity to add to the list any organizations, individuals or focus areas that may have recently come to light.

5: Conduct In-depth Candidate Interviews – At this point we begin aggressively calling, screening and evaluating candidates from the list provided and refined in Step 4.  Using behavioral interviewing techniques and our training in career coaching, and the use of personality assessment methods and tools, we conduct in-depth interviews using our unique 10-Point Candidate Scorecard to keep track of the high-potential candidates and to quickly screen out those who are marginal.  The surviving candidates are ranked according to a weighting system embedded in the 10-Point Candidate Scorecard that assigns extra value to both hard and soft criteria that have been highlighted as crucial to meeting the needs and requirements of the position.

Our focus throughout this process has been to determine four things about each prospective candidate:

• Can they do the job? (Knowledge, skill sets, experience, aptitude, etc.)
• Do they want to do the job? (Goals, motivation, behavioral traits, etc.)
• Will they do the job? (Aptitude and behavioral traits)
• Will they change jobs for this opportunity? (Short / long-term goals and focus, financials, timing, family considerations, etc.)

6: Present Qualified Candidates - In conducting our sourcing we will evaluate from 50 to 75 contacts and interview from 25 to 45 candidates.  We then select those candidates who rank highest on the weighted scoring system, typically the top 3 to 5 prospects, and present you with a comprehensive package on each candidate which includes their complete contact information, their resume, our Candidate Executive Summary, the 10-Point Candidate Scorecard and the Candidate References Summary.

This extensive documentation serves the hiring team in determining which of these candidates most closely resemble their ideal candidate profile, and also helps them to forecast the likelihood of an individual candidate’s success if hired for that position.  You will only see candidates who can do the job, want to do the job, will do the job and who have indicated that they are willing to change jobs to secure the specific position targeted in this search.

7: Prepare Candidates for Interviews - Once we agree on the final candidates, we then prepare these candidates for the first interview by sharing with them the company history, information on who they are going to be meeting with and any additional information on you may feel is appropriate.  We also coordinate the interviewing schedule and confirm all appointments, whether they are for telephone interviews or in-person, 24 hours in advance.  If there is travel involved we also coordinate these activities as needed.

By design, we are careful not to ask for or communicate specific questions or aspects of the interviewing process that might influence the outcome.  We will reinforce for the candidate the requirements and needs of the position that have previously been communicated throughout the qualification process.  Based on this, we encourage them to think about how they might highlight their capabilities in those areas so that they are prepared to discuss the key issues on the table.

At this point in the process, most of the basic information available to each party about the other has already been exchanged.  Our role now is to facilitate the exchange of relevant new information so each party can begin to make an informed decision.  Our goal is to never have the candidate create a scripted presentation or pre-rehearse their delivery such that it would reduce the opportunity for spontaneous dialogue, where much of the value of a successful interviewing process can be found.

We also suggest that the candidate develop their own list of questions so that, when the opportunity in the interview presents itself, they will be able to easily gather the necessary information they will need, so they will be fully prepared to make a decision should an offer be forthcoming.

8: Prepare Client for Interviews – In a similar fashion, we have found it extremely helpful to also prepare the client team by reviewing and emphasizing specific information about the candidate just prior to the interview, such as key aspects of the candidate’s strengths and potential weaknesses, providing additional insight into their motivations, values, short and long term goals and objectives and why the candidate is excited about this position.

We encourage the interview team to develop their thoughts about how to highlight those aspects of the opportunity that are known to be positive hot buttons for the candidate, so they can take advantage of selling they opportunity when the time is right.

9: Debrief Candidate - We expect and advise our candidates to communicate with us as soon after the interview as is possible.  We conduct a thorough debriefing by asking a few key questions and then listening carefully to the answers.  From this information we can determine how the candidate feels about the exchange, their reaction to the team, the company and the opportunity.  We share this information with you right away as we know how critical this feedback is to the hiring team.

10: Debrief Client – As we are sharing the candidate debriefing feedback, we also conduct a thorough review with the client.  If at this point you have decided to pass on a particular candidate, we will professionally release them from the process.  If your decision is to continue, and the candidate is equally enthusiastic, the information gathered during the client debriefing step is critical to further developing the candidate’s interest and promoting the opportunity, especially if the candidate is being pursued by other organizations, which is frequently the case.

Special Note: Our experience has been that once a top performer, who is a “passive candidate”, is approached about making a move and they begin to seriously consider such a move, they invariably begin aggressively networking and evaluating other opportunities.  Our success in influencing a candidate to decide in favor of our hiring team is often times a direct result of rapid and open communication between the hiring team and candidate, through the recruiter who is in a unique position to sell the strengths of the opportunity to the candidate.

11: Conduct In-depth Reference Checks - At this point we conduct in-depth reference checks on those candidates that are selected for further development.  This includes both basic first level and also confidential second level references.  We advise candidates early in the process that this is standard procedure once we reach this stage of the process.  By informing candidates of this during the qualification stages, we can usually ensure that there are no hidden red flags that we should be made aware prior to reaching this stage of the process.

Once the reference checks are competed, we provide you with the results on our Candidate References Summary form, along with a standard release signature from the candidate for gathering the information, including any provisions for exclusion such as their current employer.

12: Counter-Offer Coaching – Quote from candidate: “There are only two things in a person’s life that are as emotional or as stressful as this changing jobs stuff. At the moment, I can’t think of either of them.”

We begin introducing the topic of counter-offers with the candidate fairly early in the qualifying process.  This serves to not only emphasize its importance later on in the final stages, but it helps to flush out how serious a prospect is about moving, and sometimes exposes candidates who may be “fishing” with no real intention of making a move.  Obviously, as the process matures, and it begins to look like an offer from the client organization will be forthcoming; discussions and coaching about the counter-offer become more relevant and far more important.

In addition to it’s usefulness as a closing tool, and to confirm the candidate’s intention of accepting a “soon-to-be-made” offer, it helps prepare top candidates for the transition by beginning the “visualization process” of 1) accepting the client offer, 2) resigning their position with their current employer, 3) turning down the counter-offer and, finally, 4) joining the client organization and showing up for work.

By walking the candidate through this scenario several times during the closing days before an offer is made, many of the emotional aspects of these events can be minimized, if not avoided altogether.  It also helps candidates avoid one of the biggest mistakes a resigning employee can make – accepting the counter-offer.

Statistics show that of those who accept counter offers, the probability of voluntarily leaving in 6 months or being let go within one year is extremely high.  National statistics indicate that 89% of those accepting counter offers are gone in 6 months.

13: Make Offer and Gain Acceptance - Once the selection process has drawn to a close, and you have determined which candidate will receive an offer, we will then present the offer to the chosen candidate.  As the facilitator of the process, we will ensure that they understand the need for a prompt response and that they need to be ready to accept within a 24 hour period from the time the offer is extended.

Before the offer is ever made, we help get them mentally prepared to say yes to a realistic and reasonable offer, and to get the offer signed and sent back to the client, or say no within 24 hours.
We urge and encourage all of our clients to follow this step of the process, even though some clients have historically had this step performed by the hiring manager or HR staff.  We have found that, by having us present the offer, we can use our relationship with the candidate, one that has been built up over time, to help navigate through or around some of the final issues that may arise.

These last minute issues sometimes become exaggerated in relation to their true value in the overall scheme of things, because, again, this is a very emotionally charged period for the candidate and frequently for the client as well.   As an integral, but somewhat neutral party to the proceedings, we can usually manage a level of communication with the candidate that would be hard for the client organization to duplicate.

14: Follow-up with Client and New Hire - We maintain communications with the candidate and the client hiring manager for a period of approximately 90 to 120 days, to ensure things are off to a smooth start.  If there are any bumps, we can share with you what the issues are and assist, if requested, with suggestions for possible corrective action.

15: Engagement Evaluation – Lastly we provide you with an Engagement Evaluation form that tells us about your level of satisfaction with our services.  This form consists of two parts; the first part tells us about your near-term assessment of the search process and the results, the second part asks you to provide similar feedback, but approximately 90 to 120 days after a candidate has been placed.  This long term satisfaction metric is one of the key measures that we use to determine how effective our services have truly been in helping you meet your objectives and how we may improve our process to ensure we are delivering the highest level of service possible for our clients.

Quality Control Documents

To ensure control of our process and our client’s satisfaction, TalentCare Group utilizes four Quality Control Documents that guide the hiring team in capturing and confirming that the specifications and details of each assignment are clearly understood, agreed to and met.