Bright Recruiter: Articles

Great talent is hard to find.

Fox News recently interviewed TurboSquid, a tech company in New Orleans, after Bright Labs announced that NOLA was among the top 3 fastest growing regions for tech jobs.

They explain an issue that hits close to home for us here at Bright – that the demand for talent outweighs the supply. As they mention in the video, business is good and they need more software engineers to drive the production they have the demand for. But they just can’t seem to fill their positions. Louisiana produced less than 430 computer science grads last year, and jobs are being created much faster than they can be filled.

So, what’s a tech company to do? Here at Bright, we’ve expanded our search for great candidates worldwide – bringing in talent from every corner of the earth to create our world-class team.

And today, despite any objections from our HR department, I’m going to share all of our secrets…

Build a World-Class Employer Brand and Culture, and Make it Known

We pride ourselves on being a great place to work. We have a team-oriented structure with a flat hierarchy that allows each person to contribute in a meaningful way. We have a great startup culture that includes an open office space (no cubicles) so we can foster teamwork and innovation. We also have fantastic teambuilding events, like distillery tours/tastings and bowling, plus we celebrate birthdays and holidays together.

All of these things are the reasons we’re able to retain our talent, but it’s also important to share this information in order to attract top talent. We do this mainly through word of mouth (hello, referrals!) and social media, but it’s also on our website and mentioned in each of our job postings. That way, whether we’re reaching out to a candidate, or they found us, our employer brand and company culture are front and center for a candidate to review and evaluate against their professional interests and goals.

For a top candidate that’s willing to make a long distance move and has endless opportunities around the world, this information can be a deciding factor in whether or not to consider, or accept, an opportunity with your company.

Be flexible with interviewing.

One of our engineers cited our interview process as one the reasons he considered an opportunity with us. We allowed him to do a phone interview and take our coding challenge remotely – so he didn’t have to spend time and money flying out to California before we got to know each other a little better. This gave him a sense of who the people here were so, when he came out to visit in person, he wasn't completely in the dark.

Foot the Bill/Take Money out of the Equation

Bright covers many of the interviewing and relocation expenses, removing finances as an obstacle so the candidate can focus on the opportunity and fit. This includes interview traveling expenses, relocation and moving expenses, work visas for eligible foreign workers, and even assistance with temporary housing if an employee has not had time to find a place on their own.

By taking money out of the equation, candidates don’t have to worry about costs associated with interviewing for a job that may not pan out, or moving across the country when they could probably find a job closer to home. Remember, top candidates are in demand everywhere, so if you want them to relocate to work for your company, you need to make it an easy decision.

Implement a Flexible Vacation Policy

Bright has an unlimited vacation policy, which one of our engineers cited as one of the reasons he accepted our offer. Our flexible time off policy allows our employees to take time off and recharge as needed, but it has the added benefit of allowing our non-native Californians to return home on a regular basis. Especially for an employee that’s moved across the country (or across the world!) with few personal contacts in a new place, it’s important that they don’t feel stuck within the constraints of company vacation days.

What do you do to attract relocation candidates?

To find qualified candidates nationwide, sign up for a free trial of Bright Recruiter.

How much time do you spend screening candidates? A whole day can be spent reviewing resumes to create a shortlist, followed by 30 minutes per candidate on a phone screen, and then 1 hour or more per candidate for a first round interview.

This webinar recording from SocialTalent shows you how to shorten the screening process so you have more face time with your most qualified candidates.

They review:

• Bright’s CV screening tool: This tool helps you save time on screening resumes - simply add your job description and upload resumes, and the Bright Score Calculator will rank each candidate against the job description you've entered, in minutes - rather than hours. Each candidate will receive a score between 0-100, and those with the highest score are best suited to move on to the next step in the recruitment process.

• SurveyMonkey questionnaires: Once you've identified your shortlist from Bright, send them a short qualification survey instead of scheduling a phone screen. This saves you time, and offers the candidate more flexibility in terms of scheduling. You can set up a 10 question survey for free, set a deadline for completion and quickly sort through the results to bring forward only your best, and most qualified, candidates.

• Sonru’s automated video interviewing tool: To save time on your first round interviews, try using this automated and recorded video interview tool. This allows candidates to answer your preliminary questions on their own schedule, and gives each a more consistent experience. You can then quickly review the candidates on your own schedule as well, and bring in only the most qualified for an in-person interview.

For more specifics, watch the webinar:

I can't even keep track of how often I get recruited for positions in business development and sales, but it’s gotten to the point where I don’t even want to respond anymore. Sure, the required skill sets are similar to mine, and I could probably be successful in them if I were to make a career move. But my entire work history is in marketing. I love marketing, and anyone who spent the time to look over my background would notice that.

So, when a recruiter reaches out to me for something that’s irrelevant, I realize that they probably didn’t take the time to research my background and what kind of position I’d be interested in. Actually, the only reason I email them back is to let them know that they can find someone who may actually be interested by using Bright Recruiter. (For those of you unfamiliar with Bright, we’ve developed an algorithm that matches your job description to the millions of candidates that have signed up on our site. That way, you know the job candidates are qualified AND interested in hearing from you.)

Regardless of where you find your candidates, you should at least make sure that your opportunity is in line with their career progression.

A Linkedin poll revealed that about half of the 14,000 respondents didn’t mind getting InMails from recruiters, while the other half didn’t mind as long as they were relevant. To put it another way, half of the respondents would be bothered by receiving an irrelevant offer.

This causes candidates to think less of you, and your company - and reduces the chances that they'll respond to your message now, and in the future. You'll also miss out on the more qualified and interested candidates that they may refer to you.

Instead, do a little research before reaching out so that you’re not being completely irrelevant. Then, ask the candidate what they would consider a great opportunity, to ensure that their goals align with your position, and your company.

Just because you think someone may be interested in your opportunity because their career progression would make sense to you, they may have other plans in mind. So, never assume that you know what a relevant opportunity for any given candidate is. You may find that they’re not interested in the opportunity you’re currently working on, but at least they’ll respond so you can get to know them and place them in a better role for their background and interests.

And here’s a quick bonus tip: Be genuine when you reach out to candidates - you will build their trust, have a higher response rate, and potentially place them and their referrals.

By the time you've created a compelling job description, posted said job description, proactively sourced candidates, screened candidates, assessed each candidate's skills and qualifications and/or checked references, you've invested too much time and energy creating a shortlist to lose them now. But it happens all the time - you lose your best candidates to another company, the candidate realizes that your opportunity isn't the best fit for them, or the candidate simply gives up because your process it too tedious. Now you've wasted your time, and theirs.

Here are some quick tips to prevent this from happening:

1. Understand what your candidate is looking for

During your initial meeting (usually a phone screen), or before, make sure you understand what your candidate is looking for in their next opportunity. Much of the time, the first conversation revolves around what the job entails, what the employer is looking for, and whether the candidate is a good fit - which is important, but the recruitment process can't be treated like a one-way street. The candidate must also feel that your company and opportunity are the right fit for them. Ask what their pain points are in their current, or last, position so you can really get a feel for what they're looking for. Use open-ended questions, such as, "If you could change a few things about your current position, what would they be?" and, "What are your career goals?" Make sure you come up with interview questions that dig into your candidate's passion and drive to ensure a mutual connection.

2. Explain your interview process upfront

Also during your initial meeting, or before, let the candidate know what your entire interview process usually looks like. It can be frustrating for the candidate to go through a 30 minute phone screen with the recruiter, another 30 minute phone screen with the hiring manager, and an hour and a half long in-person interview with the hiring manager - only to find out later that they also need to do an hour long presentation, and then spend another 2 hours meeting with the head of the department and other key players. The candidate knows that they will not necessarily make it through every stage in your interview process, and all they really want is to be informed of what to expect, and when, so that they can allow time for it in their schedule. This leaves fewer surprises for people that move on, so they don't drop out later in the process because of scheduling conflicts or burnout.

3. Be flexible with scheduling

Once you let the candidate know about your interview process, make sure your candidate is comfortable with the scheduling of the interviews. Ask them what is the best way for them to interview with you. Candidates may have other job interviews scheduled, possibly on top of their current job - which they don't want to put in jeopardy. You should be flexible to allow for both larger blocks of time where they can complete the entire interview process at one time (or over fewer days than usual), or smaller blocks of time spread out over a week or two. You should also provide afterhours times that you are available – perhaps staying late once per week or offering a weekend time to meet. This prevents you from scaring off your employed candidates, as well as those with other obligations. You may also want to consider a more casual environment to meet your team, such as a lunch or happy hour – where everyone can make sure the candidate is a good cultural fit.

4. Ask where they are in their job search

At each point in the interview process, ask I where each candidate is in their job search. Some may only be considering your company (score!), but others could be close to closing an offer, so you’ll want to move more quickly for those. Also ask that they keep you informed on any changes, and stay flexible on moving interviews around to accommodate your more active job seekers (as well as your passive candidates that may have schedule changes due to their current job!).