At Arcanium, we believe intake meetings are fundamental and foundational for any successful recruiting strategy. This process occurs between the recruiter and the hiring manager (or hiring team) to obtain essential details about your open position and desired candidate. If both parties agree on the ideal candidate profile, and the recruiter fully understands the position, then the right candidate can be found and hired in no time!
Arcanium’s Intake Process
Our intake process takes place over a zoom call and is driven by thoughtful questions that spark discussion. These questions guide us into a deep understanding of your company, the position, and your ideal candidate(s). A crucial aspect of our question design is its open-ended format which encourages our clients to think deeply about what they truly need.
In order to present an incredible opportunity to any given candidate, your recruiter must deeply understand your company and the position. Gathering information by just reading your website and job description is simply not enough.
Benefits of An Intake Meeting
-Gathers information that goes beyond the job description (what success looks like, day-to-day experience, etc.).
-Helps provide a fantastic candidate experience.
-Uncovers red flags and disqualifies candidate information.
-Sets expectations, including a clear understanding of the hiring process and timeline.
-Identifies exactly who the ideal candidate is, which saves time and money.
Exceptional Candidate Experience
A positive candidate experience is an essential aspect of any recruiting process, especially in the candidate-driven market of 2023. A thorough intake process ensures that your recruiter can create a compelling and authentic message. This is important because your external recruiter is
an extension of your brand.
A well-informed recruiter can answer candidate questions that might not appear in the job description (interview process, timing expectations, day-to-day experience, etc.). Answering these questions helps the candidate make an informed choice. It also helps the recruiter gain insight into the candidate’s fit for the role.
We have even had candidates express increased excitement about a position after they spoke with us. A win for us, a win for the candidate, and a win for you!
Here’s an example:
“Thank you so much for your time yesterday morning. If you are any indication of [Client’s] management style, even as an independent contractor, they must be terrific. Thank you for being informative and direct about the role and what you believe the team is looking for from the ideal candidate. Listening to you share details about the role and their key priorities left me inspired and excited.”
Get Automatic Disqualifiers (Red Flag Questions)
Every client has unique information that automatically disqualifies candidates for any given position. Arcanium calls this section of our intake process the “Red Flag Questions.” Red flags can be interpersonal, cultural, or technical. Ultimately, disqualifying questions help a recruiter easily determine if a candidate is a fit, saving everyone time in the process.
Setting Expectations
Full transparency is important when setting expectations. For example, if you want to hire a Senior Full Stack Engineer in San Francisco for $95,000 a year, your recruiter should talk to you about salary expectations in that marketplace. When a position’s salary is listed under market value, it can take longer to find the right match.
A great recruiter should never tell you they have perfect candidates ready to interview in a week with your expectations. Arcanium views recruiting as a partnership, and we value honesty and transparency.
Iterate and Update!
The process of defining a role is always iterative. A hiring manager may have an initial set of criteria, but that could change over time as you interview more candidates. It is imperative for your recruiter to be proactive about feedback. Hiring managers are usually extremely busy, so it is up to the recruiter to reach out and get feedback on the candidates they submit.
Internally we have a saying at Arcanium, “Our clients should never reject a candidate for the same reason twice.” Our intake meeting and ability to quickly adapt are key to our success.
This is what one of our clients said about Arcanium’s ability to learn and iterate:
“If we don’t like a candidate, we tell them exactly why, and they work that information into their continued search. They definitely learn from everything we feed them, and we’ve certainly learned more about the type of people we’re looking for. Both of us have been able to pivot and adjust our strategy.”
Summary
An intake meeting is only the first step to a great recruitment strategy. Recruiting is a partnership, and great communication between hiring managers and recruiters saves time and money. A clear and thorough intake meeting paves the way for a successful recruiting experience!
Looking for a recruiting partner? Contact Arcanium.
