How to Sell Your Company to Stellar Candidates

By Brad Seraphin

Step 1: Stellar Online Presence

Attracting a stellar candidate starts by presenting yourself like a stellar organization. Know all your company’s Google results and in some cases be prepared to address them. Know what people are saying about you on Glassdoor.com and social media. Be aware of your online presence. Social media profiles should appear clean and organized. A modern website is a great way to attract great candidates.

Step 2: An Effective Job Posting

Creating an effective job posting is a lot like creating an effective product in that it should be designed with the end user in mind. Define your requirements and the needs for the position in the job description. Try to describe a day in the life of the position. Describing the corporate hierarchy and the candidate's position in that hierarchy increases transparency, and increased transparency builds trust. Make sure your company’s about section clearly describes the company. Consider both a simplistic explanation and a more detailed or nuanced version for a candidate who wants to dig deeper. Great candidates want to understand the company if they are going to accept a position.

Step 3: Phone Screening

Reach out via email to schedule a time to talk. This way the candidate can research the company and position, and find a nice quiet place to talk privately.

Ask them, “Would you mind telling me a little bit about yourself?”

Let the candidate know that they have been selected from a large group and that you have identified them as a potential match. Then schedule an in-person interview while they are on the phone and your calendar is open in front of you.

Step 4: The Interview

Make sure you have provided adequate directions, parking instructions, and security access so that you can greet your candidate upon their arrival. Starting an interview with a tour of your office or facility, explaining each department’s location, and pointing out some of the perks is a great way to help the candidate imagine themselves working in the environment.

After offering a beverage, sit some place private and comfortable to conduct the interview.

During the interview, try to offer as much transparency and honesty as possible about the position and management. Explain the company’s needs and expectations.

Interviews can often feel stifled by a fear of mistakenly breaking some HR protocol, but this stellar candidate is your future teammate who will fight with you in the trenches, and who might even end up becoming your friend. Provide the candidate with the honest insight you wish that you would have if you were considering the position. Stellar candidates are stellar humans first. Show them humanity through empathy and you will earn their trust.

Step 5: The Offer

Do not low ball and do not wait. Knowing what number is respectable and what number is insulting is important. If you don’t know, try to find out before you make an offer by requesting a salary history. Nothing can kill a negotiation faster than an insulting offer. And, don’t wait. When you know, you know. Deciding should not take more than a night to think about the decision. The best hiring decisions are intuitive. If you need to think about it, keep the candidate in the loop about your progress. Waiting is a sign that you are not 100% sure, something the candidate could perceive as an ill fit.