Recruiting the right people for your organisation in health, safety, environment, or sustainability can be one of the toughest processes, particularly as the job market has become increasingly competitive. But these tips will help to streamline your recruitment process and keep candidates engaged.
1. Streamline the interview process wherever possible.
Try to avoid too many stages at interview as you can run the risk of candidates being snapped up. Generally, up to a Senior Manager role two interviews is the sweet spot – you could have an initial phone conversation or virtual call before arranging a face to face. For some roles, you may feel an additional stage is necessary such as site visit, psychometric tests or meeting the Managing Director. Wherever possible combine these stages to give you the best shot at bringing onboard the best talent in your health, safety, environment, and sustainability team.
2. Be flexible
In a busy market, it is likely that candidates will have more than one opportunity that they are interviewing for, so being flexible with interview dates and times is key. Having this flexibility will enable you to interview as many candidates as possible.
3. Don’t delay
Keep the momentum going between the various stages of the process. You may find a great candidate has accepted a role elsewhere if you leave too much time between interviews or offering the job.
4. Be engaging (and sell!)
The right health, safety, environment, and sustainability candidate will work hard to impress, but you should also be selling the role and your company to them, particularly in a competitive market. Engage with them by asking questions relating to their CV and experience and be sure to leave time for them to ask you questions.
5.Showcase your company’s work culture
Work culture and office environment is now one of the most important factors for candidates looking for a new role, we find this is particularly true within the health, safety, environment, and sustainability sectors. Give as much detail as you can about this as it may be their deciding factor when accepting an offer. Do you have social events? A big Christmas party? Trips away? Bring your pet to work day?! All these things will paint a picture of what your place of work is like. Don’t try and be something you are not as candidates will likely leave once they join you. Understand who you are, communicate this to candidates and good things happen in hiring!
6. Workplace introductions
Face to face interviews provide the chance to build a rapport with the candidate, as well as give them a chance to see the office and get a feel for the work culture. If possible, introduce some of your existing team to successful candidates so they can ask any questions they may have. Can they have a site walk around?
7. Provide feedback
Constructive feedback will be appreciated by candidates whether they are successful or not. It will help successful candidates in their decisions and for those who are unsuccessful it may help them to tailor their job search or hone their interview technique. You also never know if your paths will cross again in the future!
If you’re currently looking for a health, safety, environment, or sustainability professional, our specialist team of consultants are here to support you through this process. Get in touch here.