Josh TolanHigh-growth is one of the most critical periods in your clients’ businesses. Clients not going through this stage now, will in the future. And it’s your job to be ready for it. We know rapid growth is inevitable, but the world’s economic state constantly fluctuates. These fluctuations make it challenging to predict when rapid growth will occur.
The one constant you can expect when projecting high growth is your clients’ need for the most qualified talent during that crucial period. In fact, two of the top hiring priorities of rapidly-growing companies are improving their quality of hire and a more reliable talent pipeline, according to our 2018 Growth Hiring Trends Report.
Unfortunately, rapidly-growing companies reported their biggest obstacles were a lack of qualified candidates and high turnover. During high-growth stages, however, 62% of our respondents acknowledge that following the latest hiring trends and using modern tools is very important.
It’s important to look ahead at your clients’ needs to identify what tools will ease the placement process. One-way video interviews allow for a proactive approach to high-growth periods, rather than rushing to improve the quality of hire and create reliable talent pipelines that can support high-growth.
Here’s how to use one-way video interviews to prepare clients for high-growth stages:
1. Review their growth plan
Your clients don’t know the exact moment they’ll need to shift to a high-growth hiring strategy, but they likely have one in the wings. Each detail of their plan directly impacts how you’ll strategize preparation for them.
There is not a one-size-fits-all strategy. Review clients’ growth strategies to determine the most effective way to implement one-way video interviews. Assess their current productivity and growth metrics to predict what roles they’ll need to hire during high-growth. Then, consider how many people they have in roles contributing to their most productive, profitable sections of the business.
Once you have a clear picture of where growth will most likely occur, use data to assess patterns that reveal the ideal number of qualifying candidates you need to filter into their talent pipeline.
Also, ask clients direct questions about their company’s mission and goals. Chances are, concerning growth, their answers will expand beyond what they revealed during your initial discussions. Use these insights as inspiration to create ideal target candidate personas that fit into future high-growth roles.
2. Determine must-have questions
With one-way video interviews, you can create a fully-structured hiring strategy. By sending candidates the same questions and setting the same guidelines, such as how many takes they’re allowed and how long they have to answer each question, you enhance assessment accuracy.
However, you can’t improve your evaluation process and prepare clients for high-growth stages, without optimizing screening questions.
Go back to the basics of their high-growth hiring strategy. Align details like the responsibilities for each role, as well as the company’s culture, mission, and goals to create a list of three to seven must-have questions for each potential future opening.
Consider these factors:
- The essential skills and experiences for each role
- Candidate career goals that align with the company’s future
- Key cultural fit factors
- Values
- Ideal personality traits
- Autonomy and collaboration
- Adaptability
3. Coach candidates on video interview best practices
When clients are under increased pressure to fill a high number of roles rapidly, they have little time to determine if a candidate’s mistake was a minor error from a highly-qualified candidate or if they’re genuinely not a great fit.
Give candidates the best possible chance to impress by coaching them through the process. Send a list of best practices to review before their interview. For example:
- Share examples of acceptable and unacceptable backgrounds
- Explain the importance of dressing the same as an in-person interview
- Remind them to eliminate all distractions and background noises
- If possible, discuss poor video interview etiquette that disqualified past candidates
Encourage candidates to use specific examples from their work, volunteer, or personal experiences when applicable. The more direct and specific they are, the easier it will be for clients to align candidates with their growth goals.
4. Create a collaborative video library
Opportunity for high-growth can occur for clients suddenly in the same way that plans for growth could unexpectedly be delayed. Depending on their industry and shifts in the economy or market, one client could experience a rapid increase in business while others remain stagnant or even downsize.
Assure clients you’re prepared for any hiring climate by building a collaborative one-way video interview library from silver and bronze medalist candidates they’ve reviewed during typical hiring periods. Ask clients to use video interview evaluation and collaboration tools to rate candidates and note precisely what they liked or disliked.
Reviewing client feedback now ensures you keep on track as you source new potential candidates. More importantly, it allows you to refer back to talent that may not have been a perfect fit for a previous role but would align perfectly with future needs.
Spark Hire
