5 things you can do to attract the best Digital talent!

Tales from the recruitment industry...

5 things you can do to attract the best digital talent!

We all know that digital is a growth market and a candidate driven market so it is becoming more and more important for you to ensure you are doing al you can to attract and secure the best talent. Here are 5 things you may find useful…

1. Promote your business:- sounds simple enough but you would be surprised how many clients think an interview is all about the candidates promoting themselves and telling them why they should be hired forgetting about promoting their company. This is crucial, especially in a candidate driven industry such as Digital & in roles such as PPC, SEO & Digital Planning & Buying. These digital candidates have option, they have multiple offers, fail to promote your business and prepare to lose the best talent to the companies that do! Should always be 50% 50%.

1. Enthusiasm:- it is not just about promoting your business – it is how you promote it. One of my favorite quotes is. “It’s not how good you are, it’s how good they think you are,” On the surface this can sound a shallow quote but what it means is how you say something matters and if you say it with passion and enthusiasm you will make more of an impact. Often clients will be interviewing candidates back to back and will be asking the same questions over and over again so it’s easy to become lethargic. I have had candidates many times make a decision based on the enthusiasm and passion of the person they interviewed with and would be working for.

1. Have a clear structure:- What I mean is ensure that candidates who come for an interview are treated well from beginning to end, that the experience of interviewing with your business is a positive one. Regardless of if they join you they will speak with others about their experience, we all know how tight knit a community digital is. Candidates are often left waiting in reception with no explanation as to why. Often they walk through an open plan office on their way to the interview room and what they see and hear or don’t make a big impact. I have had candidates turn down jobs because when they walked through an office that had a poor atmosphere, it was quiet, people did not look happy etc. Sounds a minor thing but what candidates see and hear is vital. Moving on to the questions, don’t just use the same old questions – mix it up, add in something fun, make yourself different. I have one client who asks candidates what their favorite film, TV show, band, is at the start of the interview in order to break the ice and gain an insight into the candidates’ personality. The first 5 to 10 minutes of the interview is all about building rapport, it will have a significant impact on the tone of the rest of the interview.

1. Feedback:- Clients are often found lacking when it comes to providing quick feedback. This is especially true when clients do not want to move forward with a candidate. Again remember the people you interview will speak with people in the industry and if you don’t provide detailed feedback you will leave a poor impression on them. I have had many candidates turn down interviews because their friends have had poor experiences with them previously. Good or bad always give clear feedback and do it quickly. Candidates really appreciate it and it makes you stand out.

1. Improve your technique:-Ask the recruiter what the candidate thought of you and use the feedback to improve your interview technique. Nobody ever really asks me this but I wish they did, digital is so candidate driven that any edge you can get will improve your chances of securing the best candidates – the candidates who have multiple offers. Interviewing is not a natural situation to be in and if you can be humble enough to accept that you may have flaws in how you interview candidates you will benefit. I have a couple of clients who are very focused on improvement and they have me sometimes sit in on interviews and to give my opinion afterwards. This is something we do free of charge and is really useful. I have interviewed 1000’s of people of 10 years and a recruiter can give you some useful help and support.

So that is 5 things that clients can do to help them attract & secure the best digital candidates. Digital is the fastest growth sector and if you can make improvements you will reap the benefits. More often that not candidates have multiple offers, don’t miss out on the best digital talent because you are not prepared or promoting your business effectively.

At Digital Minds we only work in Digital and we feel we are different to most other recruiters, operating in a different way, a consultative way that benefits candidates and clients. If you are looking for a new digital job in:- SEO jobs, PPC Jobs, SEM jobs, Display jobs, Digital Planning & buying jobs, Social Media Jobs, Mobile Jobs, Affiliate Jobs, BD Jobs, Web Development jobs or any other digital job please get in contact for a confidential conversation.

Simon Halkyard

simon@digital-minds.co.uk