Earlier this week we talked about how you can recruit millennials to your team. We talked about building bridges to the best people during the interviewing process. The more time we invest understanding who we are meeting, the more likely our success in hiring them.
That being said, great team members are at a premium. It’s critical to your organization’s continued success to know how to recruit and build strong relationships with the people you interview. Over the past several years, I’ve worked with many clients to upgrade their recruiting and interviewing processes so they can get the best people for their organizations.
Today, I share how to develop a more coaching style of leadership during the interview. If you can connect with candidates during the interview, the more likely you are to get them onboard when there are multiple offers. I wish I could tell you that you are the only one talking to this great candidate, but, today, great candidates have more choices than ever before.
To recruit better people for my clients I use a coaching interviewing process when talking with millennials today. I’ll share how I do it in today’s blog. Don’t worry we talk more about coaching and its applications for building a high performing organization in future blogs.
The third way to recruit millennials is to help them grow right from the start of your first conversation. Learn to navigate through your interviews as a conversation, not an interrogation. This means doing some pre-work to better understand the people you are talking with. To recruit better you must prepare better. We will talk about this in future blogs, but let me say here, start by reading the candidate’s resume before the interview starts!
If you want to show millennials you’re committed to help them grow, ask them about how they learn best in their life and career. Look for clues on how committed they are to lifetime learning and growth. I see study after study of how millennials value personal growth and expression in their career.
In many cases, they don’t know how to achieve their goals. If you display your mentoring skills during the interview, you may be surprised how many people you can recruit. Learn to share, not teach. Sharing builds connection and engagement. Teaching, not so much. Most times, it’s one sided and agenda driven.
The final way to recruit millennials is to learn how to coach them through your hiring process. This means you let them know how they are doing in real time. Learn to appreciate a millennial’s strengths and then help them grow during your interviews.
Most high performing people love feedback. The more, the better, within reason. Learn to share and coach people that you interview. I’ve found two benefits from this. The first is you’re connecting on a deeper level, something most people prefer when dealing with a potential employer. Second, you’re more likely to see how they are to work with.
I advise both clients and candidates to be real in the interview. Millennials put a high value on the relationship they have with the people they interview with. Even if they choose not to come to work for you, they still can be great champions for your organization in the market place. I’ve hired many people who were referred to me during the hiring process by people I didn’t hire. Invest in these four ideas and you will not only enjoy your interviews more, you will attract and hire better people for your team.
I got a note on last week’s blog asking what story you should be telling during the interview process. Next week, I’ll share the three pieces of the story you should include in attracting and recruiting efforts. See you next week.