Candidates Only Know What They See

You may not think about it, but candidates make these judgments, too. If you’re not on top of your interview game, you risk losing the attention of the person you hope to attract. We’ve said it before: Candidates think the way you hire is the way you manage. Often, it’s the littlest things that make the most significant difference.

Say hello promptly. If you don’t have someone at the front desk, make it someone’s assignment to respond to your candidate’s arrival and notify you immediately. Nothing makes a bad first impression than a candidate who has to wait in an empty lobby.

Have a clear agenda. If you intend to have others meet your candidate, make sure they don’t hear about it from you at the last minute. Please give them your candidate’s resume. Don’t make them ask the candidate. Tell your candidate what the agenda is or, better yet, have a written version to hand over at the outset.

Set up focused interviews that don’t overlap. You likely have one staffer who is exceptionally technically competent. Have that person focus on technical questions. Divide up other possible areas of questions so each interviewer brings unique feedback to the hiring discussion.

Deliver an appreciative goodbye. Regardless of the agenda, you should always say the final goodbye to the candidate. If you can’t be there, ensure you assign the task to someone. For a candidate, the only thing worse than waiting in an empty lobby is standing outside someone’s office, asking themselves, “Am I done?”

You know how important first impressions are when selling yourself to a client. The same is true when trying to sell yourself to a candidate. Not paying attention to the little things can cost you.