Most employers know that the job interview is crucial for finding the right candidate, but did you know it’s just as important to make them want to work for you?
According to a recent report by Arcadis, the number of vacancies across the construction industry has increased by 80% since February 2020. Another report by Engineers Australia found similar shortages and predicts that demand for engineering roles will increase by up to 16% by 2025.
With the chronic labour shortages plaguing industries across Australia, top candidates likely have multiple options when seeking employment and will have their pick of the many roles in the Oil & Gas, Engineering and Construction job markets. As a result, securing the best talent involves not only determining the right candidate but also making the proposition of working for your company as attractive as possible.
Here are our top four tips on selling your role (and company) in an interview.
Understand What the Candidate is Looking For
Any experienced salesperson will tell you that understanding your target market is the essential first step before crafting a pitch. The same applies when presenting your opportunity in the interview – doing your research on what candidates really want out of their role will be a critical factor in securing the best talent for your business.
A survey conducted by PwC Australia found that of 1800 workers surveyed:
- 25% said they valued remuneration and reward above all else
- 22% said they valued their wellbeing above all else
- 16% said they valued company culture above all else
While these figures are generalised to all professions, it’s also worth getting more granular and digging into what people in specific roles want, whether it’s Mining Engineers or Environmental Advisors.
To achieve this level of detail, surveying current or past employees in specific job titles to find out what’s important to them will help you understand what prospective candidates are looking for so that you can speak to their needs in the interview process.
Communicate Your Employee Value Proposition
An employee value proposition (EVP) is the unique set of benefits an employee will receive when working with a company. Developing and sharing a compelling EVP is a great way to summarise what makes working for your company attractive and increase your chances of appealing to those top-tier candidates.
First, you will need to develop your EVP. A compelling EVP will include information about remuneration and benefits, career development prospects, and company culture – in short, include what your prospective employees value and what you know your company can deliver.
Streamline Your Interview Process
It’s important to remember that the interview process itself plays a vital role in selling your company to prospective employees. Whether your interview process is an efficient and well-oiled machine or slow, lumbering and bureaucratic, you are effectively communicating to the candidate that “this is how we do things around here”.
With this in mind, one of the best ways to sell your company in an interview is to “show, rather than tell”. Demonstrate to candidates what it’s like to work for you by delivering a smooth and efficient interview experience. If possible, see if you can reduce the number of interview rounds. Always make sure that you schedule your interviews efficiently, be responsive throughout the process and always make the candidate feel that their time is valued.
Assess Previous Hires’ Experiences and Make Improvements
Finally, while it’s important to aim to be efficient and organised throughout the interviewing process, without the right feedback, it can be hard to know how to make the right improvements. Luckily, each employee you’ve hired is an excellent resource for understanding what the interviewing experience is like, and how you can improve it.
To ensure your hiring process is selling your company to your candidates effectively, it’s often a good idea to survey recent hires to see if there are any changes you can make.
Try to find out:
- What they liked and didn’t like about the process
- If it was too short or long
- If they felt that the interview gave them a sense of what it would be like to work for the company
- What the process was like compared to interview processes they’ve had in the past
- How the communication was throughout the process
By understanding your strengths and weaknesses in your interviewing process, you’ll be in a position to fix any inefficiencies and make the prospect of working for your company attractive for the top talent you want to secure. When you work with a specialist recruitment agency, they will manage the hiring process for you, ensuring it’s a good experience for candidates and leaving you to focus on the interview itself.
Summary
As times are changing, it’s more important than ever to not only identify top talent but make it easy for them to recognise you as a top employer. Amid chronic skill shortages, it’s essential to communicate the value and benefits of working at a company and make candidates excited to work at their company above all others.
While there are always tips and tricks you can use, the best way to ensure you can secure the people you need is to speak with the specialist recruiters at Patch Personnel. As leaders in Oil & Gas, Engineering and Construction recruitment, our Brisbane team have a wealth of knowledge on the market and we’re here to help you land your next hire. Get in touch today!