Houston's On Fire; Act Fast To Hire!

Forbes magazine says Houston is the coolest city in America when it comes to enjoying a living, and employment stats show Houston is the hottest city when it comes to earning a living.

Job recovery has been so prolific here that there are fewer candidates looking for work. That means companies in hiring mode need to act quickly, responsibly and reliably. Slow and steady won't win this race.

Consider the case of Jane Doe.

After nine months of fruitless searching for the perfect candidate, a well-established company turned the task over to us. It took another month before we found Jane. Usually, we're able to tap into our talented resources and find three or four candidates the client would be interested in.

This particular job, however, had a few extra requirements and details. We found a wonderful candidate out of state, whose husband was transferring to Houston. She was willing to sacrifice a few things, like salary, in exchange for establishing a career with a fantastic company. She researched the company; she was excited, she was eager to meet them.

Enter Murphy's Law.

The hiring manager was on a three-week vacation – in another time zone. No matter how hard we tried, nobody else was able to handle this human resources matter.

The moment the boss returned from vacation, he looked at her resume and wanted to see her that day.

She was already working for somebody else.

Hiring Hints

• Make the hiring process your highest priority. Finding the right person for the job as soon as possible boosts business productivity and morale. Delay too long and your candidate might be courted by your competitor.
• If you're going to be out of town - or even out of the office for more than one day - assign a proxy. Somebody you trust who you know will make a good decision.
• Even better, be available. Overseas? Skype is free, and if a candidate is interested in your company, he or she will be happy to engage in a midnight computer conversation. You establish a connection, and if it goes well, you arrange an in-person interview with the above-mentioned proxy.
• Upon your return, despite the stacks of paperwork and thousands of emails requiring your attention, let the candidate - or the candidate's recruiter – know whether or not you wish to proceed.

Candidates are open to waiting if there's an end in sight. If your company's hiring process requires additional interviews, and is a process that could take a few more weeks, just say so.

It's the silence that's horrific.

Consider the case of John Doe, a 40-year-old professional we first met after he had a negative experience pounding the pavement on his own.

When John was handed a pink slip after several years of employment with the same company, he hoped the situation was temporary. It seemed it would be, considering the immediate interest of a firm that was eager to bring him on board. The first interview went well, leading to a second interview…and a third interview.

Then, nothing. No word at all. Despite carefully-timed email and voice-mail inquiries, so as not to seem too eager, there was no reply.

John eventually learned from others that they too had been through the same experience with the same company. To this day, several months later, there has been zero contact. What happened? Did John do something wrong? Did the company decide not to hire anybody? What could he have done differently?  Was this a case of "it's not you, it's me" or "it's totally you, not me?"

Communication Commitment

Everybody values feedback. We not only want it from clients and candidates; we give it to clients and candidates. Our goal is to present the best possible person for the job, so if we missed the mark, we need to know. Similarly, if a candidate has a bad experience with a client, we're going to let you know.

• If you rightfully expect a candidate to be professionally dressed, on time, well prepared, and knowledgeable about your company, they are right to expect the same courtesy in return. Be on time and know a few things about him/her.
• If you're running late for a scheduled interview, have somebody else available to welcome the candidate; even better if that person can sit and visit with the candidate until you arrive.
• Candidates want to know, and so do we, how did they do? How did it go? Do you have more questions? Provide feedback promptly, even if the candidate is not a good fit.

War for talent

Whether it's a yes, no or maybe so, we ask clients to respond to us within 48 hours of interviewing our candidates. Back in the good ole days, it was 24 hours. That was a time when candidates were so in demand, we called it the "war for talent." In fact, we had EVP's – employer value propositions – as a way to sell clients to candidates fielding numerous offers.

We're not quite there yet, but we are in a place where candidates are no longer sitting around waiting for a phone call with a job offer.

Houston has the fastest-growing job market across the nation. We're not only recovering jobs, we're adding jobs. Highly-qualified job seekers are either already in our midst or are on their way to Houston.

Are you ready?

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(Horserace photo by Paolo Camera.)