Leadership Authenticity and Team Engagement Win Top Candidates.

Talent is scarce. The fight is on!

Huzzah! Hiring is picking up. It was a long slog through 2020. Hiring was slowed or completely stalled. The uptick in hiring is terrific news for the year in front of us.

That said, the fight for talent is as fierce as it has ever been. The candidates with the skills you want, are also being sought by everyone else. Multiple offers are once again a thing and candidates are disappearing off the market at light speed. It is not entirely a seller’s market driven by candidates, however. Organizations are being choosy and that intensifies the competition for in-demand candidates.

Playing to win? Here are two things hiring managers and their teams can do during the interview process to woo desirable candidates.

#1 Good candidates “hire” their bosses.

 And, they fire their bosses--a top reason people leave jobs. When interviewing, candidates are listening for the clues, signals about the prospective manager’s leadership (including how they develop their staff), expectations, and communication style. The old interviewing style where the manager interrogates the candidate, playing it close to the vest about what they are really seeking, simply doesn’t work today.

What does work: Transparency and candor. Candidates are seeking this. They respect it. Leaders who are magnets attracting the best candidates to their teams are the ones who project realness in their conversations with candidates. They talk openly about their leadership style, how they manage, what they expect of their people, and what they are looking for in the role they are seeking to fill. They are also candid about challenges within the role, the team, or the company at large. It might be a function that is still maturing and working out process kinks; or a very fast-paced organization; or a team that needs to be able to shift gears on a dime; or the on-going cultural adjustments in a newly-merged organization.

What is a turn-off for one candidate might be exactly the opportunity another is seeking. In either case, the insights you share will help the candidate evaluate whether this is the right job for them.

This openness also allows the hiring leader and interviewing team to ask appropriate questions about the candidate’s experience and ability to deal with the specific challenges. If the candidate is interested and has the appropriate skills and experience, they will step up. If they don’t have what is required, you’ll soon know, saving everyone time and trouble.

#2 Candidates put a premium on joining a great team. 

Given this past year of pandemic and social isolation, this is truer now than perhaps ever before. Demonstrating the quality and spirit of your team is essential. A personal connection needs to be forged.

The winning interview process depends on having interviewers who are trained and engaged. They understand their objectives as interviewers, which are to gain insights about the candidate and to champion the team and its good works. They are prepared with insightful questions. They are empowered to show who they are as people.

And, while having your team leadership interview candidates is obviously important, candidates want and need to meet with peers, or those team members in the next higher role in order to get a sense of their immediate colleagues, the day-to-day, and how people’s career journeys have developed and been supported.

With video interviews likely still the primary interview tool for 2021, having interviewers who can radiate their team’s positive energy and the value they are adding is one of your most effective methods for capturing the hearts and minds of the best candidates.

Being without the people you need is tough, for you, the hiring leader, and for your team. When you interview with a good dose of authenticity you have gone a long way towards showing great candidates what’s on offer. With your team backing you up and flying their colors of enthusiasm and pride, you’ll have played to win on game day!