Crew ConsultingLock in the best candidates, while not skipping important steps
There’s no denying that the tech industry in New Zealand is still a hot labour market, with a shortage of qualified candidates available for an ever-growing number of roles.
So when a quality candidate is suddenly available, you should drop everything and sign them instantly, right?
If your answer is ‘yes’, keep reading….
Yes, speed is important in a labour market to lock in great candidates before someone else does, but it can also work to your detriment when important steps like reference checking are skipped.
“When you’re moving too fast, red flags are the first thing to be ignored, and you could end up paying for it down the line,” explains Angela Butler, Crew’s Canterbury Area Manager.
When you need speed in hiring
“In our current market, there are a lot of roles on offer and a lack of quality candidates. Speed is required to lock in great candidates before they either accept another offer or get a better counter-offer.”
There’s a certain degree of FOMO (fear of missing out) in recruitment at the moment, like we saw in the housing market through 2020-21. People were snapping up properties the second they came on the market, without taking a breath for due diligence or reflecting on the future of their investment.
To some extent, FOMO can be useful in recruitment, because it urges you to be quick to secure the right person when they come along. “If you meet and like someone straight away, it’s important to move quickly before they get too many other offers or a counter-offer from their current employer,” explains Angela.
If you’re confident that this person is right for your business, you might need to take the risk of bringing them on without checking all their references or completing all the tests. But this gamble could come back to bite you down the line…
When too much speed comes back to bite
Where speed and FOMO can become a problem is when vital steps are skipped altogether: “The issue with speed is missing warning signs: what are their motivations, why are they looking for a new job? Are they an underperformer, are they just chasing money, are they a ‘bad egg’?”
If you skip reference checks, skill checks, or don’t have time to listen to your gut, you can find out too late that the person you’ve hired isn’t who you needed them to be. Maybe there was a niggling feeling in the back of your mind but you pushed it away because you needed the role filled – but what impact will it have on your business when you find out later there was something you missed?
When you’re moving fast, you need to pause and ask yourself: are you more focused on just filling the role, or finding the perfect person?
The same thing can happen from the candidate’s perspective: they might have been swept up by your swift offer and not taken the time to consider for themselves whether this is really what they want.
For candidates: too much speed or not enough?
From the candidate perspective, if the hiring process begins moving too fast it can suddenly become overwhelming and too real. “A lot of candidates are more passive about their job search – they’re looking to see what’s out there, as opposed to seriously considering it. When all of a sudden there’s talk about money, it can start to feel real and a bit scary.”
Candidates require time to research the company, consider the offer, and consult with their loved ones for advice and support. A change in workplace or role can have a huge impact on their home dynamic, so it’s important that candidates have the time and space they need to think about these decisions before leaping to say yes.
“If candidates start to get nervous around the speed, I get them to reflect on why they’re looking for a new role in the first place and what it was that excited them about this one. Sometimes they’re searching for something in particular: a step forward or something better, sometimes they’re just looking for change. Recognising what’s important to them can help to feel like they’re on board with the progress of a role even if it’s moving at a quicker-than-expected pace.”
Find the right balance with Crew’s consultants
The best way to make sure things run at pace without bypassing important steps is to be prepared:
- If you’re planning to have two interviews, put those in your calendar already, or see if you could run them back to back.
- If you’ve got testing to do, make sure that’s booked in early on so you’re not delaying an offer while you wait for results.
- Make sure recruitment is prioritised with the key stakeholders who need to be involved, so it doesn’t slip down to the bottom of their list.
If you have a good understanding of your recruitment process, you can plan for how it can be shortened if necessary so when a great candidate walks in the door you know exactly what you could bring forward or speed up.
“You’ve got to be prepared to move aggressively for the right person. If we understand early on what you need and what timeline you’re working with, we can help by preparing references and paperwork early, so your team aren’t chasing them later on,” explains Angela.
“We can also work with the candidates to prepare them for a speedy process. We keep communication lines open with both parties, so if there’s an issue on either side or someone feels it’s moving too fast, we can step in to manage that process.”
At Crew we specialise in tech recruitment, so we understand the speed of your competitors and range of offers your candidates might be getting. Our role is to use all the information at our disposal to help you manage your recruitment process and find the perfect match for your business.