Here’s an employer branding issue that’s worth considering for all organizations hiring individuals in Supply Chain:                   

What will Supply Chain people think if you take a long time to hire them?

In the 21^st century, organizations are realizing more than ever that hiring is a two-way street. Companies need to take proactive steps to attract the best talent. The paradigm that companies are acting as gatekeepers for candidates hungry to get a job, no matter the circumstances, is on the way out. In Supply Chain in particular, the area we at Argentus recruit for, talent is in higher demand than ever. Companies are working to build the best employer brands they can, offering work-life balance perks, competitive bonuses, upbeat working cultures, and other differentiators from their competition.

But there’s one thing that often falls short, and that’s in the hiring experience.

For our money, it’s worth thinking about how the experience of getting hired impacts an individual’s perceptions of your company. This is true especially so when hiring people for Supply Chain, Procurement, Operations, Change Management, Process Improvement and other similar roles.

How does your company look to a candidate during the hiring process? In a marketplace where Supply Chain professionals are in high demand, certain red flags in the hiring process are going to convince them that organizational factors will make it more difficult to be effective in their role. And this might scare them off.

Supply Chain professionals are expected to be change agents within their organization. Their role is to argue for efficiency and improvement, and to get buy-in for change with internal stakeholders.  So what will a candidate think if it takes more than a week to schedule an interview? What will they think if they have to meet with six or seven different individuals within a medium-sized organization? A lack of speed in the hiring process projects disorganization, and disorganization projects an image of a company unwilling or unable to make meaningful decisions.           

So, food for thought: If your organization looks like it’s afraid of making a decision, it might scare off the top talent. Reducing time to hire and complexity in the hiring process will help project your company’s image as an organization that’s responsive, adaptable, and strategic, rather than bogged down in red tape. If you’re prompt and organized in your hiring, your company is more likely to attract and retain the top talent – especially in Supply Chain.