by Catalyst Corporate's HR Team
From time to time, members ask Catalyst Corporate where and how we find our employees. Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to hiring quality employees, but here are a few tips our HR team has picked up along the way:
- Consider internal talent and referrals from current employees first before exploring outside job candidates. Happy employees will hopefully recommend other people they would like as co-workers.
- Personalize your credit union’s online appearance, so that potential candidates (who may have never heard of you before) get a positive first impression. Now, more than ever, applicants are conducting their own due diligence, using an organization's digital presence to evaluate company culture, reputation and overall employee satisfaction. Applicants may search the credit union’s website, LinkedIn and Glassdoor. The website and LinkedIn provide helpful information on your business; Glassdoor may offer credit union reviews by former employees. If you see that your organizational review needs improvement, you may want to encourage your current employees to submit reviews.
- Analyze the best recruitment methods for your open job positions. For example, LinkedIn may be best for online recruitment of higher level professional positions, while Monster or Handshake may be more useful for entry level positions.
If hiring managers are conducting searches for “passive” candidates (individuals not actively seeking a position), LinkedIn and Dice have options – for an additional fee – to create a pipeline based on the specific skills you are seeking. Weigh the advantages and disadvantages of using a recruitment firm to find prospective candidates. Can you do your own recruiting, reserving recruitment firms for when your own search comes up short? Recruitment fees add up quickly, and outside recruiters may not be as interested in a candidate’s long-term success as you are.
- It may make sense to extend the interview process beyond HR and/or the immediate supervisor. You want to ensure a new employee is a good fit for the team they will be joining. Some managers bring in a potential candidate to interview with other members of the team or with the supervisor the next level up. Others take a promising candidate to lunch with their team to see how they interact outside the formal interview. These efforts may reveal new insights into a candidate’s skills and personality.
- Once your candidate accepts the job, focus on welcoming and successfully onboarding them into the team and the company. Put processes in place that guarantee the new employee will have a proper greeting, tour and resources on their first day at work (think introductions, technology, supplies, paperwork, security training/badge). Consider what they will do and who will show them around. Welcome the new employee in an email to all staff on day one. Other employees know that a new person is in the building, and your new employee receives his or her first email.
Hiring the right person for the job takes effort, but hopefully pays off with a successful long-term relationship.