Matching the Ideal Candidate with Your Culture

By Stephanie Cox

Small businesses face a wide set of challenges during the hiring process. The right candidate at the right time could be the difference in a fledgling business about to make it big. RC Search Group is here to help your small business select the ideal candidate at that critical moment. We’ve gathered these 11 tips to help focus your hiring process at all levels.

1. Culture is key. How does your business behave – how do the people that work there think? Understanding that is critical to finding the right people to join your team.
2. Sing your praises. Once you know what your culture is, take to social media and develop a presence that reflects it. It is also important to remember your company website is your ideal candidates first impression.
3. Make a thorough job listing. Remember to give information about the identity of your company, the matching qualities you’d like to see in an applicant, the responsibilities of the position and what the candidate will gain by joining your company.
4. Develop a plan to be nimble with top candidates. Before posting your position, define what criteria will indicate a great candidate for your business. As well, define a rapid response time for candidates who meet that criteria. Waiting to respond might mean an ideal candidate could slip through your fingers.
5. Take your time. Prepare thoughtful questions for the candidate’s interview. Thinking through the interview process and not just ‘showing up’ will help you get the best overall impression of the candidate. Reference checks are important too – not everyone is great at interviewing!
6. Start things right. Onboarding is critical to an employee’s long term success. On-the-job training with a manager or an employee-mentor can make the all the difference when your ideal candidate is taking their first steps with your company’s journey.
7. Stick to your process. When you hire a great candidate, repeat and refine that process with every new candidate you hire going forward. You’ll help avoid expensive and time-consuming turnover with an involved hiring process.
8. Be smart with technology choices. Don’t find yourself spending more time than you’re saving with your technology. Simplicity is key – utilize HR technology that will allow you to focus on hiring great candidates.
9. Remember your manners. It might seem a little funny to respond with a ‘thank you’ to social media posts. However, this is one of the daily ways you build your company’s stature online and in your community.
10. Only the best! Hiring mistakes are inevitable. Sometimes when business picks up, there’s an immediate need. But the wrong candidates are costly, waste time, lower morale and shut out better applicants. Try to always hire people who can enhance your team’s capabilities.
11. Don’t be a ‘ghost.’ Letting a candidate know they aren’t right for a position in a timely fashion is a courtesy every employer should extend to their candidate pool. Don’t be among the companies that ‘ghost’ candidates they aren’t moving forward in the hiring process.

And if you more time to focus on what you got into business for in the first place, let RC Search Group find that perfect candidate for you.  Call Stephanie Cox at 515-505-4768!

Peterson, Ben, and Michael Carden. “13 Tips for Small Business to Attract and Retain Great Talent.” BambooHR, 2014.