More than ever it is of crucial importance to make recruitment work. When hiring in the technology sector, talented Marketers will be able to choose between roles even in a challenging climate.
So how do you hire candidates who can get an impactful marketing strategy off the ground and into action?
Nail the Interview Process
The most efficient clients interview brilliantly. Those that struggle with the recruitment process do not.
Here are our top 4 tips for getting your interview process in line:
Get Your Timeline Fixed
Don’t leave weeks between interviews, you will lose candidates (and frustrate them) and cost yourself more lost time.
Get moving on the decision following each interview immediately and move to a second stage in ideally no more than a week.
Get Prompt Feedback to Candidates or the Recruitment Agency
As a leading marketing recruitment agency, Spotlight Recruitment finds it surprising how often we have to chase feedback for several days only to hear that it is excellent and they are the first choice.
This doesn’t make the candidate feel valued and they may mentally park your role in favour of another.
Make Decisions Quickly
If you take too long to make a final decision on on a candidate you really do risk going back to square one.
Get your prerequisites in place early, so that you don’t rule them out after three interviews on something you could have decided on earlier.
No one has a crystal ball, if you are looking for 100% certainty you may never find this. Make sure they tick the boxes on the experience, skills, personality, references, and move forward.
Make a Good Offer
All clients should be aware the most enticing offer letters are well written, warm, engaging, and persuasive! Make your Marketer want to join your tech brand, tell them why it’s a great move for their career and why you have a great company they will want to work for.
Be Mindful of Remote Working Now and in the Future
The technology brands have adjusted to remote working and realise that the future could very well mean remote is here to stay. Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey announced earlier this month that Twitter employees will be allowed to work from home ‘forever’ and are moving to a work-from-home-model fur to the impact from Covid-19.
With remote working, we are all in different boats, some of us are working peacefully at home alone, some around young children interrupting Zoom calls and there will be a love/hate divide on the pros and cons that come from a home ‘office’. Be mindful of your future employees and how they feel about it.
Keep them regularly updated on your plans regarding office work, understand that it is a difficult thing for some to do, and offer flexibility where possible around childcare.
New employees may find it more challenging to develop relationships with colleagues without face-to-face communication. Become proficient using video conference software, such as Zoom Communications to keep in touch. Think about how you can add the normal monthly lunch or weekly drinks into conference calls so everyone can get to know each other and form a bond.
Consider the Competition
Recruitment has an additional challenge at the moment amid the pandemic but it is not all doom and gloom and in the technology sector. Many clients are pushing ahead as normal with hiring plans.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking in a challenging climate, you can pay less or candidates would be ‘lucky’ to have that marketing role. Marketers with the right technology or software background and proven experience in the right marketing campaigns will have clients wanting them to join who highly value their experience. This means current packages are still excellent and many will push ahead in the current pandemic.
While some tech brands may lack funds to compete with packages from Google, Apple, or Facebook, the tech sector is still buoyant so focus on standing out.
Save Yourself Time
The forward-thinking brands are not cutting budgets for marketing but instead increasing them for maximum exposure in this unpredictable climate. Therefore, marketing recruitment continues and particularly in the tech sector.
Clients that value their time and realise that their time is revenue, will continue to use recruiters to do all the leg work around finding the right candidate. Recruitment is not always straight forward and the right recruiter will take the pressure off and work to a clear strategy on recruiting the right Marketer.
If you are considering recruiting on your own without the support of an agency make sure you have a clearly defined path of work to get you to your goal. Have you considered that you might be inundated with CVs (particularly at the moment) and the amount of time filtering and responding to applicants before arranging interviews, feedback provision, and reference checking? It is a lengthy process and of course if advertising directly you have to be conscious that you may need to go back to square one if your candidate declines and offer. While agencies have a cost involved, the right agency will talk you through the process to find a solution to support you in hiring cost-effectively and most importantly, successfully.
NICOLA MONGON is the MD of Spotlight Recruitment, the leading marketing recruitment agency in the UK since 2008. Read our 5* Google reviews from candidates and clients to find our more. We are members of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation who ensure member compliance for high professional standards. If you would like to discuss recruitment, you can reach Spotlight on 020 3008 4254 or info@spotlightrecruitment.com