How To Successfully Personalize The Recruitment Process For Candidates

To provide insights into how to better personalize the recruitment process, we asked seven professionals, including career and talent experts, to share their experiences. From tailoring benefits to a candidate’s personality to accommodating unique needs for a successful hire, these experts share their successful strategies and the impact they had on candidates’ perception of their organizations.

Tailor Benefits to a Candidate’s Personality

Recently, we got a case where matching the benefits according to the candidate’s personality did a great job for the hiring process. We were looking for a quite specific specialist, and our pool was quite narrow. However, a few fitting candidates played into our hands, as we could do detailed research for each of them.

Furthermore, in the course of the interviews and candidate nurturing, we managed to get even deeper insights and tailor our final offer and benefits plan accordingly. Believe it or not, sometimes offering pet insurance to a candidate can do the trick, especially when it goes with a mention of a pet’s name.

Tania Doshko
Career Expert and Content Manager, CryptoJobsList

Engage Candidates Through Personalized Outreach

I was working on a very niche executive search two years ago. Many of my outreach efforts were falling flat, so I focused on my top 15 candidates and delved deeper to get them to respond.

I reviewed each profile to find their passion, be it sports, music, time with family, etc. For one particular candidate, I noticed they had posted some items relating Lady Gaga to being a founder of a startup. Being a Gaga fan myself, I decided to be edgy and craft subject lines to see if I could get a response.

One example: “I’m your biggest fan…I’m your Paparazzi” was the subject line of one email. In the email’s body, I shared my passion for Gaga and mentioned I was a fan of the candidate’s work history and posts on key topics related to the search. I even went outside of my comfort zone and inserted a GIF from the video.

The candidate responded in hours and commented that they enjoyed the personalization of the email and that it was what made her respond.

Trent Cotton
Senior Director of Talent, Hatchworks

Influences a Candidate’s Decision with Personalized Assistance

This goes way back to when I was the HR manager for a small animal hospital. We had little resources, but we wanted to hire the best and the brightest. Because of that, I would often go out of my way for candidates.

One time, we were hiring someone out of state but didn’t have the money to fly them in for house hunting. I got them a real estate agent, and I went to at least 12 houses and made videos for them of me narrating a walk-through so that they could feel comfortable about moving across the country and moving into a new home in a new state to come work for us.

Years later, the candidate told me that my doing that is what made them decide to come for the company.

Tamica Sears
HR Consultant, Sears Coaching

Enhance Perception with Transparency and Opportunity

When I was an in-house DEI leader, I met with offer-stage candidates who wanted to learn more about our investment in DEI. With one promising candidate, it was a critical factor when deciding whether to accept their offer.

During the conversation, I gave them explicit permission to ask me anything. I was transparent about where the company excelled and where we needed to improve, which they appreciated. I also highlighted opportunities where they could contribute. The candidate expressed gratitude for the transparency and left with greater confidence in the organization.

After accepting their offer, they went on to serve as an employee resource group leader and an advocate for inclusive workplace norms.

Alex Lahmeyer
Founder and DEI Consultant, Boundless Arc

Address a Candidate’s Concerns for Successful Recruitment

We were in fierce competition with a Fortune 10 company for a top candidate. This candidate was not only exceptionally talented and highly successful but also a working mom. We knew from conversations that a big sticking point was that she felt some amount of guilt about upending her children’s lives for an opportunity that would take her across the country.

So, we planned a family weekend with school tours and neighborhood visits so she could envision her family thriving in the new city. We took care of every detail. Her son had a beloved pet lizard and was afraid his lizard wouldn’t thrive in this colder climate. We went as far as to find a local reptile expert her son could meet for reassurance.

We’ve found that when you take the time to deeply understand a candidate’s root fears and desires, you can serve them well during a stressful time of their lives.

Ultimately, she ended up taking the role, and the move opened up opportunities for not only her but her whole family.

Michael Morgan
Managing Director, Medallion Partners

Take a Tailored Approach

In a unique situation at NamanHR, I led the recruitment of marketing executives without an HR head. I personalized the process to align candidates with our culture and values, positively impacting their perception of our organization.

Using our LinkedIn page, I posted a job description reflecting our innovative and transparent approach. During phone screenings, I delved deep into their expectations and aspirations, aligning their goals with the roles and responsibilities within our organization. To assess content-writing skills, I tailored assignment rounds to candidates’ communication abilities.

The final interviews focused on cultural fit and values alignment. I openly discussed the pros and cons of working with me and the organization, setting clear expectations. Candidates appreciated the individualized approach and open communication. This process showcased the power of a tailored approach to significantly influence candidates’ perceptions of our organization.

Prachi Zalani
Marketing Manager, NamanHR

Accommodate Unique Needs for Successful Hire

I interviewed a candidate for a role in our offices, and their resume was flawless. They were the perfect person for the job, and I had already made up my mind to hire them, until the interview. They were visibly shaking, monotone and had very little to say to my questions. I couldn’t make sense of it.

What had them so shaken up? The next day, they emailed us, explaining that they had this uncontrollable response in every first interview, but that if we will do a few more, it would subside. So, we accommodated the candidate and did four interviews. By the fourth one, they had no panic and confirmed that they were the perfect person to hire.

Rick Berres
Owner, Honey-Doers

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