Do you recall a really good phone screen you had with a recruiter, one that excited you about the job and made you realize you couldn’t wait to work for that employer? Maybe you’ve experienced a really mediocre job interview, one that sealed the deal that you did not want to work for that employer.
I have had both experiences, and I take those to every job interview I conduct. I am a recruiter, but I am more than a voice on the other end of the line. I am the “matchmaker” between candidates and Go Local Interactive (“GLI”).
I liken recruiting to setting up two friends on a blind date. The date might go really well, or it could bomb. But to be a good matchmaker I have to know my friends and who to match them up with – much like I need to know the intricacies of digital marketing to create a successful match between the candidate and GLI.
Can a phone screen, like a blind date, actually lead to finding “the one”? Research shows how important a company’s first impression is on a candidate, and in many recruiting circumstances, I am that first impression. According to recruiterbox.com, “64% of applicants would share negative screening experiences with friends and family,” and “27% would go as far as actively discouraging others from applying.” The website also correlates positive hiring experiences with 15% of candidates putting more effort into the job once they’re hired because of those experiences.
Positive hiring experiences have a huge impact on hired and non-hired candidates. So how can I make GLI candidates’ hiring experiences as positive as possible? I took the first part of this year to dig in and examine that question.
Know Your Product
A valuable recruiter knows their company dynamics, as well as the products and services they represent. Knowledge is power, and for recruiters, product knowledge can mean more qualified candidates in the pipeline. I’ve been a recruiter for seven years, but up until last year I was new to recruiting for digital marketing. My drive to really “know” Go Local Interactive and the digital marketing industry led me to one month of shadowing our Organic Media (Search Engine Optimization and Content), Paid Media, Web Development, and Account Strategy departments to gain comprehensive knowledge about what my colleagues do in their specific roles each day.
What an eye-opening experience it was watching them create paid media campaigns using Google Ads or pulling client reports from Google Analytics. So much data analysis supports each campaign, and the knowledge, critical thinking skills, and aptitude of my colleagues is impressive! My experience shadowing gave me in-depth, hands-on knowledge of each of our product teams and how they collaborate on campaigns. This is what I’ll be able to share with candidates during the phone screen to help them invision what it would be like to work at GLI.
Know Industry Nomenclature
I’m a skilled recruiter and know how to “walk the walk,” as they say, but being new to digital marketing, I felt like I was learning how to talk again! Go Local Interactive has four departments, each with a subset of acronyms relevant to them within digital marketing. Click-through-rate, 301 redirects, hyper localized geotargeting, off-page SEO, link bait, cloaking, meta tags, white hat SEO, Moz, XML sitemap . . .it can be a challenge keeping up with this remarkable “club” of digital marketing professionals who have a dialog all their own.
I could “go with the flow” so I don’t appear stupid, but that’s the stupidest thing I could do. If I don’t understand the nomenclature or industry jargon, how can I have an intelligent and informative conversation with prospective employees?
Through the process of shadowing each department, I created a glossary of industry terms, tools, and jargon. It’s incredible how something so simple is so difficult to achieve when it comes to nomenclature, but that effort paid off and I will get to share that glossary internally and with each new hire!
Know Your Company Culture
A phone screen is a two-way street. While I’m evaluating candidates to find the best fit for the job and GLI’s culture, the candidates are evaluating me. Recruiting.com reveals that top performers often know their worth and potential and are more selective about where they work.
If our company culture doesn’t allow them to excel and accomplish their long-term goals, they will look elsewhere. My understanding of GLI’s culture helps me know which aspects to promote, and during the initial phone screen I take advantage of that time to describe what our company and the position are all about.
My shadowing experience only confirmed that the past and current GLI hiring team I’m now a part of puts screening for skills and culture into practice. From initial phone screen to the onsite interview to the offer letter, we are assessing a candidate’s talent and culture fit to ensure they’re set up for long-term success!
Becoming a Better Matchmaker
My experience learning the intricacies of a digital marketing professional at Go Local Interactive has made me a better “matchmaker.” I never forget that candidates are people first, and they are more than their résumé. It’s not only my job but my privilege to learn where they excel, what they aspire to be, and ultimately if they’ll be a good match for GLI and if GLI be a good match for them.
So now when I have the opportunity to interview you, I will better understand your knowledge of digital marketing jargon, and how your experience and work culture preferences fit with Go Local Interactive.
While we can’t hire every candidate screened, as the “matchmaker”, I can promise you will have a positive experience on our first “blind date.” Hmm, could that be why applicants are also called candi-”dates”?
We’d love to see if we’re a fit together. Go Local Interactive works because of great people like you. Check out our careers page today and let’s start the conversation!