A recent blog post by Barb Bruno talks about the importance of effectively selling your company in order to attract the best talent.

This is an important aspect of the management function that should be effectively integrated into the full cycle of the recruiting process. Making a potential candidate aware of the culture in your organization is a key element in both effectively selling your most attractive candidates on your roles, as well as ensuring that your new recruits will be a fit from both a technical skills and team culture perspective. Indeed it is important to keep human nature in mind and NOT oversell the opportunity. You do not want to appear desperate to hire.

We feel this is also a useful guideline that candidates can use to assess how seriously a company prepares for hiring.

Barb Bruno’s article outlines 4 salient rules:

1. Remember you are NOT just selling to the candidate. It is important that your candidate has a clear understanding of how your opportunity will also benefit the people they love.

2. Discuss the potential of advancement. If you promote from within, provide the candidate with specific examples of individuals who are currently still employed by your company. Encourage them to envision working for you long term and show them what options would be available.

3. Never underestimate your competition. The Internet and Job Boards have simplified the process for candidates to interview and obtain multiple job offers. Stay informed of the compensation, benefits and other perks offered by your competition. You must be competitive if you are going to fight for top talent.

4. Using a recruiter doesn’t relieve you of the responsibility. Selling and promoting your company must become part of your interview process and company culture. Selling your company and your opportunities in a strategic and consistent fashion will dramatically increase your chances of attracting and hiring top talent.

The 4th point is absolutely true. We would also like to add that when using a recruiter, it is vital to find a recruiter who will take the time to gain an understanding of your company culture, in order to effectively represent your organization. Cultural fit, as well as technical fit should be assessed at every step of the process in order to result in the highest quality hire.