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PortugalRecruitment and Selection
How to be a number one employer company
In the Human Resources department, you might have asked yourself this question more than once: Are we the top choice for our candidates?
Isabel García
HR Consultant
26 of March, 2025
Perhaps you in the Human Resources department have asked yourself this question more than once: Are we the first choice for our candidates? We’ve all looked for a job at some point, and despite applying for different vacancies there was always a company that attracted us more than another. In a context like the current one, being the employer of first choice will make a difference.
We tend to think that the difference between being first and second or third choice is the name. But beyond the relevance of the brand or what it might mean to the candidate’s CV to say “I worked at X company”, the key is in employer branding. If our employees are happy, they will speak well of us and recommend us, making us a reference employer for any candidate.
Apart from the image we may create, there is the matter of the candidate’s experience. Even if they are not yet part of our organization, we must try to offer the best possible experience throughout the process. And that includes from easy access to the process to a quick resolution. At this point, it’s inadmissible to prolong the selection process for months. If you’re not quick, you’ll run out of the best candidates.
Speed of hiring
Speeding up the selection process is essential not only to work the candidate experience, but also to improve the company’s results. The sooner we fill the vacancies we have, the less the productivity of the organization will resent. However, we can’t be wrong as a wrong candidate choice will be counterproductive. It does not fulfill the expectations, and moreover, the process will have to be restarted, and even compensate the employee if he is fired.
Having a Human Resources software like Sesame HR helps us speed up the personnel selection process, while reducing the risk of error. These tools allow us to use Artificial Intelligence in the initial screening of candidates, selecting the most prepared to occupy the offered position. They also allow to track the applications, skills and capabilities of each candidate.
We have the information centralized, which also facilitates communication with the candidate. This way, it is easier to summon them for face-to-face or telematic interviews, tests, etc. It also makes it easier to exchange documentation, such as titles, certificates or any other document that the company may need. Thus, we can follow up in real time.
Keep in mind that the sooner the process is completed, the harder it is for the candidate to drop out. If the response delays, there is the risk that the candidate receives a counter-offer from their current employer and disregards your offer, or that something better comes up. They may even reconsider and decide to stay in their position. Not to mention that they may consider the lack of response a demonstration of disinterest in their profile.
Facilitating candidate registration
Making things easy for the applicants also helps us to be the first choice as an employer. Surely more than once you have encountered a recruitment process in which they asked to fill out countless forms, send documents one by one, etc. The easier you make it for the candidate, the easier it is for them to complete the process. If you ask for more information every so often, they will end up giving up.
It is also important to have a simple and intuitive job website. Candidates should be able to complete the registration form in less than two minutes, or we risk them abandoning the process. You would be surprised how much talent doesn’t even apply as a candidate for a job due to the complexity of responding to offers.
Work flexibility for workers
Beyond the speed at which we complete the process, the other aspect to consider if you want to be the first choice as an employer has to do with what benefits for the employee the company offers. This is a way to build the employer branding, to create that ideal work space for employees, in addition to setting the difference with the competition. And among all the benefits, work flexibility stands out.
It seems more and more evident that the times when employees worked at a fixed schedule are behind us. Companies tend to facilitate workers in designing their own working schedule, as long as they meet the stipulated hours. This way, it’s easier to reconcile professional career with each one’s personal life. Teleworking is another option that supports this flexibility.
However, you will need a solution like Sesame HR to keep track of employee’s working hours, especially when the schedule is flexible. All the employees have to do is clock in and out to know how many hours they have worked and how many hours they have pending. We can’t ignore extra hours. This possibility of reconciliation can make you the job seekers’ first choice.
To work flexibility, other benefits such as restaurant, daycare, or transportation checks, days off, spaces to disconnect in the office, physio, health insurance… The choices are many. Not to mention the career plans or training in the company. These little details will help you consolidate yourself as the first-choice employer for many candidates.
Need help?
I'm Isabel, HR consultant at Sesame HR. Book a meeting with my team to help you.