Finding talent is only half the battle in recruitment. The next, and arguably most difficult, challenge that faces startups of any industry or size is hiring the best candidate for the job.
Many companies have their own formulas and practices for narrowing down and finally making an offer to their newest hire. One company whose hiring practices are widely known for their lengthy and intensive strategies is Google. According to this infographic, the tech giant receives up to one million resumes annually, and as a result, only hires 0.1% to 0.4% of candidates who go through their hiring program.
As much as you may hear about Google having the best hiring techniques, following Google’s exact process is likely unnecessary for your business. Hiring is not a one size fits all approach, but certain strategies that Google uses to make the right decision are highly beneficial and accessible and a great fit for your growing organization or startup.
Here are three strategies from Google’s hiring practices to implement at your growing company:
Communication is an aspect of the hiring process that tends to be treated as a one-way street. Google breaks this notion by directly communicating to candidates. Even before the first of many interviews, Google responds to candidates and, if selected, tells them about the next steps of the process and what to expect.
While candidates willingly provide significant amounts of information needed, what happens if employers don’t always extend the same courtesy to their candidates? Seventy seven percent of candidates respond that they will think less of a company that doesn’t even respond to a job application being submitted. Building two-way communication with the candidate through direct and periodic engagement is not only courteous to candidates, but can positively impact your organizations employment brand to both active and passive candidates.
The process is made even easier by using a set email template that can quickly be sent to all candidates keeping them informed of the process and the status of their application.
Opinions about an applicant’s fit are solicited by multiple employees at different levels at Google. Though they establish multiple committees to ensure the effectiveness of the group, your organization can also achieve hiring collaboration. Having your team provide their input can speed up the process and allow those employees closest to the job’s expectations to have a stake into the company’s direction. In doing so, all key stakeholders have visibility into the process and can be sure that the right decision is being made while sharing responsibility for the outcome of the decision to hire or not.
Google doesn’t only look for job requirements, they want candidates to have the ability to learn and cultivate more skills within their time in the company. Interviewers at Google often ask off-the-wall questions not to determine intellect, but to see how candidates react and solve problems.
Your company has a vision that is shared by its founders, employees and stakeholders. Hiring someone purely with skills, but no shared vision, or passion, will not prove to be successful in the long run. Experience can be gained, but it’s often more difficult to instill motivation to an employee who doesn’t share your mission.
Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash