Don’t forget to Sell the Candidate Hiring Manager!!

Every candidate should leave “your Company” with a positive impression regardless of the outcome of the interview. All candidates have friends who will inevitably hear about positive or negative experiences while interviewing.

It is especially important to sell candidates whom we expect to offer.

Some reasons to sell “your Company” and your group:

• Tough competition for talented people we want to hire.
• Candidates often interview with more than one company.
• Candidates often interview with more than one group within “your Company”.
• Some candidates are not actively looking for jobs and were directly recruited.
• Many candidates relocate. Before a  person is willing to uproot their family they must feel strongly about their decision to come to “your Company”.

Selling “your Company”

The key to selling “your Company” is to try to understand what issues the candidate has. Sometimes candidates are not sure that “your Company” is the right company. They may have heard negative things, the job may not seem right or they might not want to relocate. You can often gain insight into a candidate's concerns by allowing them to ask questions. It is important to truthfully address concerns and highlight the positive aspects of a career at “your Company”.

Some selling points to remember:

• Opportunity to work with  really smart, motivated people.
• Our strategic position within the  market.
• Market leadership.
• An individual’s ability to make a difference quickly (give examples).
• Breadth of opportunity—we have products in almost every major category.
• Benefits (free soda, casual dress, health club, campus environment, etc.).
• Copious resources (machines, printers, servers, etc.).
• Recreational opportunities in the local area.

The best way to convince a candidate to come here is to be enthusiastic about your job, your group, the company and the area.

Selling Your Group

Selling your group is an extension of selling “your Company”. You should describe what your group is doing, why you are excited about it and why it is significant.

Some other things you may want to mention:

• What your development process looks like.
• Individual impact.
• Vision of group.
• Fun aspects of your group.
• Team strengths.

Things to Remember

• Don't sell against other groups; ultimately the decision to come to “your Company” is the most important.
• Don't use a hard sell; people react  negatively to this. A soft sell is much better received.
• Don't overdo it; make your points   once.