Ok, it has been some interesting weeks full of recruitment. Currently, I am managing three departments (Content, Operations and Development). For Ops and Dev, I needed to fill some key positions. Last week I had the pleasure of success: I hired a Dev team lead, a UX designer, and an Operations / Project manager! All reporting directly to me.

I spent a lot of time making sure to give the right ‘candidate experience’ in the interview process. Good people are hard to find. So making sure to put the right passion and energy in the interview is crucial. The first impression of the company, and the confidence of me – as the hiring manager – in the first talk is the most important part of the process as far as I’m concerned.

Other key success factors in my opinion (from first to last):

  • Writing a great vacancy
  • Starting an online campaign – LinkedIn works pretty well
  • Creating a feedback loop back to the vacancy text (to sharpen the profile)
  • Attentively filtering the incoming resumes
  • Have a quick introduction call, before actually inviting someone for the first interview

When all this is done, and thumbs are up, I will go and invite a candidate for the first interview. As stated: the first interview is crucial, so make sure to use your time well! My rule is to limit the time for the first talk to a maximum of one hour. Usually, I also invite someone else from the department in order to reflect afterward.

How I prepare for the first interview and what I talk about in general is listed below (from first to last again). Before I start the talk I’m already paying attention to how the candidate acts when awaiting the talk, at the first greeting, and when walking together to the meeting room. In the 1st interview:

  • Put him/her at ease during my initial chit-chat – a laugh is appreciated – 5 min;
  • Proper introductions – 10 min;
  • My initial questions to the candidate about what him/her attracted – 5 min;
  • What does a candidate know about the company? – 5 min;
  • A short presentation about the company, the products, the business model, the future, the job and the company core values – 10 min;
  • Questions and answers from me to the candidate – 10 min;
  • Questions and answers from the candidate to me – 10 min.

I am putting a lot of emphasis on the talk about the company’s core values (Passion, Personal growth, Can do mentality, End-user focus, and Openness). I only hire people who can relate to these values. Core values should be ‘contagious’ in a positive way to other employees. It helps to spread the words and to sow the seeds for the future of the company.