zodo

22. Ever thought about a video application?

A what? Rather than the rather stale covering letter.......’I’d love to work for xxxx because …..’ etc etc, why not ask the candidate to complete a video covering letter asking them to outline why they think they’re right for the job, why they want to work for you and why you should employ them. Take a look at Interviewstream and see how it could add more to your hiring process. Alternatively you could have them answer on video (via a webcam) any questions you ask so if you’re looking for specific experience, rather than ask them to fill in an application form they read the questions online and their answers (via webcam) are recorded for you to view.

Definitely worth considering if you typically interview a lot of people for a role (low level or graduate positions ar ae ideal). This way you can reduce the amount of time you actually need to devote to a face to face interview by only inviting in the most suitable.

Also, if you’re hiring people who may be located in fairly disparate locations, rather than wait several weeks to be able to get them in for a face to face meeting you can use some clever online technology to interview them. Sure you can use

Skype if you’ve both got an account, or you can use a tool like this:

http://www.idiligo.com

It allows you to talk to the person and see them at the same time. All you both need is a computer with a webcam and off you go.

If you’re interested in the idea of video applications or a live online interview, iKrut has the functionality built in.

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23. Try a job referral site

Actually don’t. They sound like a great idea but never seem to work.

However, regardless of how large or small your company is, you should always have an internal staff referral scheme in place. Literally......’attract someone to join our company and we’ll give you xxxxxxx’. It doesn’t have to be quite as dramatic as the story of ArsDigita’s CEO who parked a yellow Ferrari in the car park and offered it to any employee who could attract 10 new developers but you’ve got to make it worthwhile for your staff to help you fill those jobs.

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24. Put the careers link on the home page of your website

Too many companies make it very difficult for job seekers to see what job vacancies you’ve got by hiding the careers/current vacancies link and it takes half a dozen clicks to find it.

Make it easy for people.........	list it on your home page. If nothing else it makes it look like recruitment is important to you,
which it should be.
Oh and whilst we’re talking about your careers pages........		make sure your current vacancies are listed as you never know

who will be looking around your careers pages. If they’re not listed then people can’t apply.

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25. If you are using a job board...........	add your logo

Sounds obvious but if you’re paying good money to have your job listed, make sure it has your logo on it. Not all companies do so make sure yours stands out.

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26. Can you hire within 2 weeks?

From the moment you receive that perfect cv to the moment you send out the offer letter, if that takes more than 2 weeks.........you’re recruiting too slowly. Way too slowly.

Book out interview slots with the hiring managers in advance, before you even get cvs in. That way there will be no delay in getting candidates in for face to face meetings.

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27. Avoid a lengthy application processes

Don’t make the candidate have to fill out a lengthy application form. There’s nothing more guaranteed to scare off a good candidate than having to fill in something for 20 minutes.

Just ask for their cv then if you want to shortlist them and require more information, ask for it later on but only after you’ve got their cv.

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28. Don’t forget to list the benefits

Yes candidates immediately focus on the base salary but if the job has a great pension, bonus, shares etc........	you must list
these in the details wherever you advertise the role.

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29. Try a meta search

A what? A meta search. A meta search is when you look for something on a meta search engine. These are websites that search across multiple search engines. So if you’re looking for an Online Marketing Manager in New York, type in:

‘online marketing manager’ ‘New York’ ‘cv or resume’

and see what comes up.

You won’t find that many cvs but increasingly people are listing their profiles online for search engines to pick up. It’s worth a try for digital or technical roles as these types of people are most comfortable posting resumes online.

Here are a few meta search engines:

http://www.zapmeta.com

http://browsys.com

http://www.dogpile.com

The only downside is that it’s a bit hit and miss as the search results will also contain quite a few entries which are not people’s resumes. But a free hire is always worth the 10 minutes it takes.

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If you’re prepared to spend a few $$$s then you might like to consider a programe like Talent Finder which searches and retrieves only resumes across the internet for you and allows you to review and contact each person.

Oh, and whilst we’re on the subject of search engines, take a look at Google alerts which is a great new tool you can use to find cvs. Just type in a search term and Google will email you (whenever you tell it to) if a new cv appears on the internet matching up. So if you’re continually trying to hire Research Scientists in Miami or Tax Accountants in Zurich, it could be just what you want. It’s a sort of free cv alert service.

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30. Got an iphone? Get Autosearch

An app for the iphone that allows you to search for possible candidates across a spectrum of social media sites.

It’s also available as a web application as well.

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