Hiring someone is an important investment. Get it right with our top ten hiring hacks.
Be thorough - references are becoming less of a ‘thing’ in the UAE, and elsewhere is not even legal. You can and should still find out about someone beyond what they tell you. Google them, find articles about them, research the company they used to work for. Social media is a contentious one as I think people are entitled to their private life on social, but LinkedIn and even Twitter - can be relevant. Always remember everyone has a past, but it's the future you’re interested in.
Hire for the long term - it's expensive and time consuming to hire anywhere, especially the UAE (factoring in visa, medical and relocation costs). People should be hired for the future and not as a quick fix - think along the lines of looking for Mr/Mrs Right, not Mr/Mrs Right Now.
Target diversity - don’t just expect it to come to you. If you’re projecting a team full of men, that’s probably what you’ll attract more of. You will need to go after diverse candidates yourself. It will mean looking in places you haven’t looked before. Diversity breeds innovation and that leads to a bigger market share.
Be professional - make sure your emails are professional, with correct spelling and grammar. Be on time for interviews, acknowledge emails. Make sure your video connection is good, set standards for excellence from the first interaction.
Have a careers page! Such a simple one that is so often overlooked. Even if you have no live vacancies, use this page to showcase what life is like at your organisation. People want to see videos, photos, hear from actual people who work there. What does the office look like? What benefits do you get? What are the ways of working like?
Hold up your end of the bargain - if you’re expecting a candidate to over-deliver on their CV, you should do the same with the position you’re offering them. You just launched a start-up? Be honest with them about the hours. Strict on people being in the office? Be honest that remote working is not an option.
Offer them the salary they will have for the next 12 months - promising anything more puts pressure on you and sets them up with an attitude of always looking for the next pay rise.
Look for purpose driven people not profit driven people. Of course your business needs to be delivering on financial targets, but when the chips are down how will your people remain motivated? If you land a great candidate who you ultimately won in a bidding war for the highest salary package, you can guarantee that will take them away from you one day - when the next shiny opportunity comes up.
Build a talent pipeline. Another reason that a careers page is important. You should always be speaking to good candidates even if you have no vacancies, because by the time you do have an opening, you could have 5 great people ready to sign a contract, who are already invested in the company, already know you, and have been following your work. This reduces the time to hire and creates a good follower base for your employer brand.
Build your employer brand! People will want to join YOUR organisation, they’re in it for more than a job description. If they apply to work for you it’s because you are special. Take time to tell the world how and why you are special. Make some content to showcase this. Be intentional and deliberate with your brand.
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