{"id":13307,"date":"2017-08-23T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-23T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.intercom.com\/?p=13307"},"modified":"2020-08-01T01:11:31","modified_gmt":"2020-08-01T00:11:31","slug":"attracting-top-talent-starts-long-before-the-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/attracting-top-talent-starts-long-before-the-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Attracting top talent starts long before the interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

At a fast paced, early stage startup, it’s easy to remain cold while shuffling candidates through your recruiting process. Most companies make the mistake of communicating with candidates quickly and simply, while concentrating their attention solely on onsite interviews<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When a startup\u2019s userbase is growing and the headcount needs to increase accordingly, it\u2019s understandable that this becomes the standard recruitment process. The truth, however, is that a candidate\u2019s experience begins much earlier when they start considering new opportunities, looking at company websites and connecting with recruiters early in the process, and it continues all the way to when they sign their offer. Every impression you make along the way matters, especially when a candidate has multiple offers from different startups. Don\u2019t let a cold start at the beginning of your hiring funnel be the reason a candidate ultimately decides not to join your company.<\/p>\n

Here at Intercom the candidate experience starts long before any candidate ever comes into the office and is deeply integrated into our recruiting identity. As our former Recruiting Coordinator, I have first hand knowledge of how significant every small communication and interaction is to a candidate. Here are four small but impactful ways you can set your startup apart from the recruiting status quo.<\/p>\n

1. Job descriptions<\/h2>\n

When it comes to job descriptions, hiring managers and recruiters often get caught up in ensuring every small detail of the role is represented. In turn, the job description become wordy and overwhelming to candidates without actually giving them a clear picture of the responsibilities of the role.<\/p>\n

How to make them personal<\/h3>\n

Your job description, and more broadly your careers page or job board, is the first point of contact a candidate has with your company and their first impressions are already being formulated, long before you ever get the chance to sell them on the opportunity. Making sure you have a standard job description format can be largely impactful because it immediately provides consistency to those browsing your available open roles. At Intercom, we have a job description template that we share with each Hiring Manager that includes the three sections required for every one of our roles:<\/p>\n