With the economy creeping back up and hiring freezes being lifted, things are picking up again in the job market. Here at Clarity, we understand just how busy a “busy market” can be! Our clients come from industries across the board and, while each of them may want different things in an employee, there is one consistent truth in each relationship: All clients are looking to hire an exceptional candidate as quickly as possible.

Here are 5 simple ways you can help us help YOU find the best candidate in the first round!:

1.  Give us a thorough job description.  We want to know everything and anything there is to know about the position we’re recruiting for. From the salary, to the responsibilities, to an ideal skill set or culture fit. The more detail you provide us, the better we can efficiently assist you.

2.  Explain your process. From that very first phone call, we’ve already started recruiting. In order to streamline our efforts, we ask that you inform us of your exact process from the beginning. How many resumes would you like to see? Will there be interviews? If so, how many rounds? About how many people will a candidate meet on a single interview?  These pieces of information help us make sure the candidates are well informed and know what to expect.

3.  Manage our expectations so we can properly manage the candidates’. If you, as the hiring manager, know that this process will take more than a couple of weeks, let us know. That’s fine if you will need more than a week to discuss the interviews and strategize a game plan, but it’s important that we are aware of this so that we can inform a candidate of what the future holds. Because we only send the best of the best, our candidates are surely applying to other positions and actively interviewing, and educating them on the proposed timeline early on can make all the difference!

4.  Keep it real. You don’t have to sugarcoat things or be vague with us:  We want the truth! In order for us to understand exactly what you are looking for, it is best to give us concrete examples why you did or did not like a particular candidate. Telling us “they just aren’t a good personality fit” doesn’t give us the tangible information we can use moving forward. The more details you can give us, the better, as it helps us avoid sending in the same thing twice!

5.  If possible, give us a heads up. Sometimes hiring managers know about positions that are likely opening up in the very near future. If that’s the case, the sooner you tell us, the better. A quick ‘heads up’ gives us a head start into tracking down the right candidates and getting them in our offices.  Whenever possible, we like to be ahead of the curve for you!