Ways to brief a recruiter to get quality candidates faster
Where do you even start when it comes to hiring? You’ve made the decision to bring someone in, either as a replacement or to grow, but now what? If you don’t have a recruitment plan in place, bringing in a new hire takes an average of 38 days and could run up costs in the thousands.
At Synergy Recruitment, we’ve worked with countless companies to provide the right talent at the right time, and we’re here to help you develop the best recruitment briefs to help you secure top-quality candidates more quickly.
When it comes to creating the perfect recruitment brief (or at least, as close to one as possible!), it’s important to strike a balance between detail and requiring too much of candidates. Making sure that you’re aware of timescales, you’re clear on your company culture, and you know the role you need to fill inside out, is a great place to start.
Your company values
Culture is the most important part
As you will know, up and above skillsets, the personality fit is essential to ensure everybody in your team can work well together. So, tell us about your company culture and team’s personalities. Synergy Recruitment prioritises ensuring that you get the right person for your company by finding candidates that will fit into your culture perfectly. Even though we’re good, we aren’t mind readers! Give us a rundown of your company culture to help our search for the right fit, and we’ll deliver the candidates that match your values.
Understand your company culture
Of course, to be able to tell us about the company culture and values, firstly, you need to have a solid understanding of exactly what that is! Think about what type of person you’ve hired in the past and what personalities have come together to make your business what it is today. We’ll do the rest to ensure that you get the best candidate to match your environment. We’ll come to your office to meet you and find out what your culture’s like before finding the perfect match for you.
Tell us what sets you apart
When we’re filling a position, we want to attract the best possible talent for your business. Help us set you apart from the competition by telling us your USPs and why working for you is different. Be honest here, and try to avoid buzzwords! We’re interested in the tangible things that really make your company a great place to work!
The specifics of the role
Detailed job description
Make sure to include a job description with as much information as possible. Briefing your recruiter with all the relevant information will help them to narrow down the list of candidates much faster and will ensure that you’re not wasting your time with unnecessary interviews.
Why the role is available
Give a brief explanation of why the job came up to help contextualise the search. Is your company growing and needs someone to fulfil a specific role on that growth journey? Tell us! Is the role a new one, or has it come up because of someone leaving? If we can understand why somebody is moving on, it may help us to find a candidate who is more likely to stay in the long term. We’re here to help find the right match for the position, so the more context we have, the better.
The ideal candidate
Keep the must-haves list short
When it comes to listing your must-haves, think carefully about what to include. Including too few desirable traits could leave your recruiter with nothing to work on, but too many could make it nearly impossible to find one candidate that fits them all. A good balance is important to ensure that when it comes to the interview stage, you can be confident that everyone in front of you is a good match for the role.
Shaping the brief
Put a detailed timeframe together
One of the crucial first steps, when you’re drafting your recruitment brief, is to be clear about your plans. When do you ideally want the role to be filled? And, do you have any holidays or other obstacles preventing you from interviewing as soon as CVs come in? The market is moving so quickly at the minute, that your recruiter needs to be able to plan effectively and manage candidates’ expectations so that people don’t get snapped up before you’ve met them!
Have a conversation with your recruitment agency
When you’re working through your plan, don’t be afraid to sit down and ask questions about the things that might speed the process up. Working with your recruiter to design the plan could help you in the long run, making sure that whatever you’re sending them is relevant to the job and the type of person that you want.
Communicate what you’re looking for and let the experts deal with the brief
Make sure that you don’t mince your requests or try to second guess yourself when you’re creating your recruitment brief. Being honest about what you need, both in terms of skillset and culture match, is the best way to approach writing the ideal recruitment brief.
Writing the perfect recruitment brief
Spending more time getting the recruitment brief right could prevent you wasting time going back to your recruitment agency, in interviews, or in the worst case, hiring the wrong person only to have to start the process all over again! If you get the recruitment brief spot on the first time round, our team can help you find the perfect person for the role, for your company, and someone that fits your culture to a tee.
Get in touch with our experts to find out more about how to create the perfect brief for your recruiter – or contact us with your already-planned recruitment brief – and we’ll work to find the perfect person for your company!
