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What To Expect When You’re Expecting (A New Employee) |
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 by Kevin Nye
Hiring a new employee is one of the most difficult parts of running a business. Even if you have a great hiring process, it takes a bit of work, patience and persistence. Sometimes it’s a struggle to find even one good candidate and other times when you think you found the perfect candidate… they don’t pan out.
At NewHire, we’ve seen an awful lot of strange behaviors and actions from candidates – everything from people arriving for an interview wearing shorts to being hung up on during a phone screen. To help you prepare for your next hire, we’ve put together a little list of what you can expect when you’re expecting …a new employee.
Candidates are flaky.
We’ve seen final candidates drop out of the race without notifying anyone, not show up for interviews, and never return calls or emails. On a typical set of phone screens, we’ve found that around 15% of the people we contact will never respond to our calls or emails. Even if it seems like one candidate is a perfect fit, don’t stop looking! We’ve seen some of the most promising candidates slip through the cracks. If they’re a great candidate, they might be getting other offers. Don’t sit back and assume you’ve got someone in the bag – keep looking and make sure you have a hot standby.
Candidates don’t follow directions.
Every NewHire job application includes a space to attach a resume. It also includes instructions on what to do if you’re having problems attaching your resume. In spite of this, roughly 10-15% of applicants still don’t attach their resume.
It varies from job to job, but as a general rule you can expect at least 10% of respondents to neglect to send you their resume on an online application.
Candidates are often unqualified.
Especially in this job market, candidates are trying to get any job they can and often apply for jobs they are not qualified for. For example, if 100 people apply for your open position, you’ll find that 10-20% are “qualified,” meaning they meet the experience level, degree and skills required for the job. However, a significantly smaller number will actually be “right” for the job. When an employer pares down for what they’re really looking for, the typical rate of people worth interviewing can drop to less than five out of that 100 person candidate pool. Again, this varies quite a bit between jobs, but go into the hiring process with the understanding that a small number of candidates are interview-worthy.
Candidates are unpredictable.
It’s no surprise that candidates get nervous during interviews – it happens to the best of us – but sometimes they do strange things because of it. We’ve had candidates get sick, start talking about family secrets and history, reveal too much information about their personal life, and even toss around four-letter-words as if they were at a bar with their friends. Make sure you’re well prepared for candidate interviews. Always have a strong list of questions prepared in advance that you can lean on in case things get weird.
Expect the unexpected.
You never know what you’ll come across when you start the search for a new employee. But one thing is for sure… expect the unexpected!
Do you have any crazy candidate stories? We’d love to hear about them!
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3 Quick Tips For Better Results From Your Recruitment Advertising |
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 by Devan Marie Perine
Recruitment advertising is one of the most complicated parts of the hiring process – it’s hard to manage, can be costly, and if you’re doing it on your own, it’s hard to know its true ROI.
Here are three mistakes businesses make in their recruitment advertising, and some quick tips you can use to fix them right now.
1. Publishing your job ad on the wrong day.
Here’s a little insider tip – we looked at some of our data at NewHire to see when candidates are applying for jobs and found that Mondays and Tuesdays are the most popular days.
| Day |
Jobseekers |
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| Mon |
33,115 |
18% |
| Tues |
33,935 |
18% |
| Wed |
31,129 |
17% |
| Thurs |
29,336 |
16% |
| Fri |
24,772 |
13% |
| Sat |
15,800 |
9% |
| Sun |
17,642 |
9% |
| Grand Total |
185,729 |
100% |
| *Data is based on the number of visitors to the NewHire Job Board from Sept 2011 - Feb 2012. |
We recommend to our clients that they publish their job ads on Fridays or early Monday mornings to help get the best results possible.
2. Having a boring intro.
It’s a job advertisement! Sell your company and the job – your job ad needs to be engaging all the way through and attractive to your target candidate. Your intro paragraph is where it all starts.
People have short attention spans. It only takes applicants 15 seconds to look at your job advertisement to know if the position is something they’re interested in, and the company is somewhere they want to work. The first paragraph of your job advertisement must be attractive and interesting enough for candidates to keep reading and get excited about the position. Make that 15 seconds count and you could see more applicants.
3. Not selling the job
If you want to attract top talent – you need to bring your A-Game. Employees not only want to earn more, but they want to learn more and do more.
In your job ad, be sure to highlight the most attractive aspects of the position and the company. Here are a few example questions to answer in the ad:
- What makes your company a great place to work?
- What is the work culture like?
- What perks do you offer employees?
- Is there room for growth in the position?
- What does your benefits package include?
- Do you offer training and development plans?
- Where is the office located? (for example, if you have a downtown office over looking Lake Michigan – brag about it!)
- Do you offer flexible hours? Is there opportunity to work from home?
Again, keep in mind what your ideal candidate would value in the job. What makes you a great employer and your company a great place to work?
Takeaway
While there is no magical “fix-all” to get the ultimate results, there are certainly some small things you can do. Use these tips and you could see improvements to your applicant results. |
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Upcoming Webinar |
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How to Get the Best Return on Your Recruitment Ad Spending
Online recruitment advertising can be expensive and complicated. But you can’t attract candidates to apply for your job without it. Have you ever wondered if you’re doing it right? We’ve seen many small and mid-sized businesses spend tons of money on recruitment advertising and not have much to show for the effort.
In this 45-minute educational e-session, Chuck Smith will teach you how to get the best return on your recruitment ad spending on your lunch break.
Register and learn:
- What advertising works and what doesn’t. Learn about the best job boards to place advertising from the latest industry data
- How much advertising is enough and how much is too much. Learn how to develop an effective recruitment ad strategy
- How to make your job advertisement attractive. Get tools to help you craft an effective job ad to get the most from your advertising dollars
DATE: Tuesday | June 5, 2012
TIME: 12:30 CDT
DURATION: 45 minutes
COST: Free
*Attendees will receive free hiring resource materials
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Upcoming Webinars |
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| How to Get the Best Return on Your Recruitment Ad Spending
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Online recruitment advertising can be expensive and complicated. But you can’t attract candidates to apply for your job without it. Have you ever wondered if you’re doing it right?
Learn More. |
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DATE: Tuesday | June 5, 2012
TIME: 12:30 CDT
DURATION: 45 minutes
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Pay Online!
You can now purchase software packages and any of our recruitment advertising packs on our website.
Introducing the Dashboard!
NewHire now has a Dashboard feature that allows you to view and manage all of your jobs in one place. When logged in, start at the Dashboard to manage your jobs. |
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NewHire is a recruiting software & services company. Our software features applicant tracking, custom screening questionnaires, and simple filtering tools. NewHire allows you to easily identify the best talent so you never read an unqualified resume again. |
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105
W. Madison #702
Chicago, IL 60602
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(877) 923-0054 – Toll Free
(312) 578-0983 – Fax
Contact us via email |
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