When a candidate is just too good...

 It’s so frustrating when you have a highly skilled, experienced candidate with a great resume, but you know they are just too over-qualified for the role you have. As tempting as it is to try and make the role fit the person, or to hire them and hope they’ll stay, we know it’s not the best solution. 

However that doesn’t mean candidates with great skills relevant to your business should be lost just because you don’t have the ideal role for them right now.  Instead, you can retain their records and keep them in mind for future roles that may be better suited. Maintaining a candidate databases is a fantastic way to build a pool of people who you know would be great in other roles in your organisation as the right opportunity arises. So how can you keep these candidates in place until you are ready to strike? 

First impressions count – don’t let their first interaction with your organisation be a straight rejection. When you email the candidate to say they have not been successful for this role, tell them exactly why and make it clear you want to keep their details for future use. A candidate may feel wounded when they are rejected for a role, but you can soften the blow by letting them know that they are too good for that role. It also gives their confidence a bit of a boost, after all who doesn’t like to hear that they are “too good” for something?  

Communicate – call and find out the candidates situation. Are they actively looking or just putting out some feelers? Do they particularly want to work for you? What is their ideal role and if you were to call them in six months time, what would it take to tempt them to move from the new job they will probably have by then. If you know what pushes their buttons then you are in a stronger position when you do have a role you want them for. In addition, you can ask if they want to stay on your records and be notified of new vacancies that might interest them, allowing you to keep the lines of communication open.   

It’s all about data - File the candidate’s details in a way that ensures it is easy for you to find them when the right role does come up. Use keywords in a database and clearly state what experience and skills they have that are relevant to your organisation. This way you can do a simple keyword search through your database when you have a role to fill.

If you don’t already have a candidate database management system, it is well worth looking into. You never know, the next time you have a tough role to fill, you may already have the perfect candidate right under your nose.

Contact Talent Propeller to discuss how our system could assist your business.