Conversation Strategies for Recruitment

When you recruit employees for your small business, you need to have a strategy. You must engage potential employees in conversations that tell you if they will be a match for your company, based on attitudes toward a variety of issues you encounter in the daily operation of your business. Develop a strategy to align your recruitment conversations with your business objectives.

Ask Open-ended Questions
When you begin a conversation with a potential employee, ask open-ended questions instead of questions that will elicit a "yes" or "no" response. Ask your recruits to think on their feet, and you will be more likely to hear their real thoughts instead of responses calculated to get them in the door with the least possible scrutiny. Practice creating questions that call for opinions, judgments and problem-solving strategies.

Make Values Statements
Don't spend all of your time questioning recruits. Make statements about the values of the company and gauge the reactions you get. This can screen out people who are not on board with your values. Allow time in the conversation for recruits to expand upon your values statements. This can tell you more about them than a dozen questions would.

Align "Right Fit" with Business Strategy
Hiring managers often claim to be looking for a "Right fit" in candidates. This often means they look for one type of employee who is similar to themselves. Look over your business strategy and determine where you need a different personality type or skill set to take the company in the direction you want to go. If you need creative people or independent thinkers, don't allow your hiring manager to keep looking for numbers people or team players just because those have been the right fit in the past. Develop topics, questions and statements for recruitment conversations that can help you identify the new type of employee you need to match your strategy.

Use Social Media Snippets to Create Conversations
Many companies use social media to recruit. The Internet is a place of short responses. If someone catches your ear when you read her responses, make notes about topics raised that could become a more extended conversation in person. This strategy will not only help you explore the recruit's views, it will help you build a sense of camaraderie.