In my column last month, I focused on recruitment tips that hiring managers can use to attract and land high-performance sales people. This month, I’ll take the same approach but focus on the world of science and engineering. As any manager knows, there’s a great deal of difference between the mindset and career interests of, say, a sales manager, and those of a fermentation department head.

Attracting the “impact players” on either side of that fence requires that the hiring manager or recruiter understand the motivations and interests of that special person . . . and these change dramatically when you hire technical staff. The highly creative, intelligent and well-educated scientist or engineer thinks about his or her career in an entirely unique way.

The Dynamics of the Recruitment Process
Technical people need to be romanced a bit, as they have a real desire to fit in, to feel that they will be surrounded by people who will respect their contributions and whom they can respect as well. There’s nothing phony and artificial required here—in fact, that would make it so much more difficult.

Have you ever been interviewed by a company that tries to sell so hard, that instead of this subtle “likability” I’m describing, they come off sounding like an office full of used car salesmen? You imagine companies like this as being populated by staff wearing matching blazers and shiny dress shoes. This “we’re going to sell you on coming here” doesn’t work with a scientist or engineer. It’s artificial—and to recruit these impact players you’ll need to be real, to be authentic.

However, you do need a bit of romancing during the recruitment process. I have one of those clients, and I have to interject as best I can during my own candidate discussions the fact that this is simply their interviewing persona, and not a reflection of what it’s like to work there.

Companies have their own interviewing face, and just like candidates (who have an interview persona as well) it is not always the real story. In the case of the client I mentioned, it’s a wonderful place to work. But on interview day, even as a Director candidate you’re likely to be sitting in a human resources office, filling out an application. Or flying in the night before and sitting around your hotel room, instead of having a nice dinner with your prospective boss. As long as someone, your hiring manager, outside resource, or human resources partner has defused these issues ahead of time, even the employer that doesn’t romance at all can still make some progress with the top candidates.

What is the Face of Your Company During Interview Days?
What is the face of your company during these critical interview days?  Does it accurately reflect what it is like to work there on a daily basis? It might be valuable to pull aside a few of your top performers, scientists or engineers themselves, and ask them for their impressions of their interview, and what they thought worked well and what they thought could be improved.

Factors that Will Influence Your Outcome
Welcome the Candidate— When candidates arrive the night before an interview, the best companies arrange for the hiring manager or a key associate to meet them for dinner or just to greet and brief them on events of the following day. If that is not possible, have a package of goodies—an agenda, articles or technical papers to review, corporate literature, for example—waiting for them at the hotel when they check in.

The Ice Breaker— There’s an individual on your team who is this recruit’s champion—the person they spoke to first, or perhaps the source of the internal referral. This person, the one who’s had the most contact with the scientist before the interview, should be their first contact on interview day.

It’s so important to set up the agenda with something at the onset that is lower stress! Consider a “let’s meet for breakfast” session with their contact, who brings along another really competent scientist or engineer to introduce. This is informal, not an interview, but to “talk shop” and impress this recruit with the caliber of your motivated R&D team.

Select Your Interviewers Carefully— Add interviewers to the schedule only when they have a solid interest and reason for being there. Nothing ruins an interview faster for a good technical candidate than an apathetic interviewer who keeps looking at his or her watch. Remember that scientists and engineers will be judging your company by their impressions of the staff they meet on interview day. It is vital to include a senior R&D executive. The best scientists need a taste of the company’s vision for the future so they can understand what their future might look like.

Open the Kimono— Every company will have a different attitude about this, of course. I have always found that nothing “romances” a scientific or engineering candidate as much as cool technology.

To the extent that you can, give as much of a technology review and “here’s where we think you can help take us” conversation to the top candidates. Let them see that their work will be far more than routine, and that they can get their creative juices flowing.

Position the Company’s Offer Process— Many scientists are uncomfortable, as you likely may be, with an extended negotiation process after a job offer. Some employers prefer to have a discussion with the better candidates early on about how the process will work if an offer is forthcoming.

Don’t Use the Hardball Approach
You probably don’t want to use the “first offer, best offer” hardball approach, but if everything about the compensation package appears to be negotiable, the players can go back and forth forever. That can be very uncomfortable for the scientist; in fact, negotiation is rarely a strength, so he or she will often come across poorly in that discussion.

My suggestion is that you advise him or her that offers come very well thought-out, competitive with other companies, and certainly customized to make it a win-win situation. And that you’d “appreciate and respect a prompt decision, or at least some very transparent communication about any issues.” Using language like this upfront makes the offer process smoother.

Don’t be afraid to do a little subtle selling throughout the day; the key word is subtle. Remember, lots of opportunities are available for the truly exceptional candidates.

Don’t be afraid to remind them why your department is a good place to be for a science career. Get them involved in meetings with other impressive people, show them a bit of what you believe will be the company’s future, and get them excited about both the work ethic as well as the values that your company has to offer for it’s employees.

The best scientists and engineers will walk away impressed, and this will all be a part of your company’s employment “brand” in the marketplace down the road, which will benefit you in countless hires. CP