Performance Partners

HR ADVICE ONLINE: First Impressions Really Count

How quickly do you assess a candidate when you first meet them?

How quickly do they sum you and the role up?

As an employer, it is likely that the first impressions made by a candidate will be long lasting and may have one of the greatest impacts on your decision to offer a position.   But it is also important to know that the first impressions you make will have the same, if not greater impact on the candidate’s decision to accept or decline your job offer.

Research commissioned by Robert Half and conducted of 9,000 candidates in 11 countries across four continents revealed that more than a third of candidates worldwide make their decision about whether they will accept or not accept a job offer within the first 5 minutes, or sooner.

In the current climate, people are motivated by more than remuneration and because the best candidates will be receiving multiple offers, it is up to the business to sell the role.

The best way to impress potential new employees is to highlight the following:

• Company Culture
• Growth and development opportunities
• Work life balance

So, what is in it for them? 

Candidates will be more likely to accept your offer if they are sold on the benefits of working for you and your business. Make sure you share current employee success stories about why they stay and what they love. Think about having an employee show the candidate around and have an informal chat. This can be the difference in their decision making. 

93% of candidates that left their new role within their probation period said it was due to discrepancies in what they thought the role was and what it really is.   Other reasons included poor onboarding, poor management, and a mismatch with company culture. 

It is important to remember that the hiring of a new employee is only 50% of the recruitment process. The more consistent information about the role and support from a manager during the hiring and onboarding process, the sooner the employee feels confident with their duties, their team and the practice. 

If you fail within the first 30 days to embed a new employee into a team, you will most likely be setting yourself up to fail.

Here are some great tips to help you on the way…

Plan the hiring process. 

• Carefully consider the duties and responsibilities in the position description and mirror them in the advertising to attract the best possible talent.  Place them in order of importance.
• Consider the best places to advertise to attract the best possible candidates.
  • Consider internal advertising, social media, job boards, referrals.
  • Remember you are in competition with other companies advertising for the same roles so ensure you advert is appealing and outlines all the benefits.
• Carefully prepare the interview questions to reflect the key competencies required, and ensure you know the candidate’s motivation for the role.
• Determine who will participate in the process and how many interviews will be conducted prior to any decision being made.
• Ensure the hiring manager has time to invest in each interview without interruptions and without lengthy delays in the overall recruitment process.
• Prepare reference check questions and ensure that exploration of relevant issues occurs where required. 
• Plan the induction process. A thorough induction process takes several weeks or months and should include regular catchups to ensure that positive attitudes and feelings are fostered from day 1 and the employee adapts quickly to the new environment and becomes productive sooner.

A well thought out and executed recruitment process will help you find and hold onto the right people in your business. They will help you build a strong culture and successful team.

It is well worth the time and effort!

When you are ready to start writing your next job advertisement, you can take away the guess work and simplify the process by using our Writing A Job Advertisement - Template.

If you require advice or assistance with undertaking a recruitment process, or should you require support regarding any HR matter, please contact the team at HR Advice Online at advice@hradviceonline.com.au or on 1300 720 004.

Information in HR Advice Online guides and blog posts is meant purely for educational discussion of human resources issues. It contains only general information about human resources matters and due to factors, such as government legislation changes, may not be up to date at the time of reading. It is not legal advice and should not be treated as such.

New Queensland REI SUPER Contact

Meet Nou Nou. She's your contact in Queensland to discuss all things REI Super. 

BGM Michael Keith met with Nou Nou to discuss REI Super's products and services recently and Nou Nou will soon be contacting all Queensland offices to introduce herself and assist with your financial planning.

Contact your state or territory representative here.

FN Connect Underlines Support for Foundation

Social proof in your community wins trust and demonstrates your commitment to giving back. 

FN Connect's (Richmond, Windsor & Rouse Hill, NSW) Catherine Armstrong contacted National Experience Manager, Suzi Cowperthwaite after the most recent Foundation update and asked how her office could get involved.

So, the above video rolled out on their office screens and socials last week. Nice job!

Principal Andrew Mansour is also fundraising for Camp Quality. His goal is to raise $8,500 and he's nearly there. Can you help Andrew reach his goal?

Ask your BGM how your office can do more today.