10 tips for presenting your company well to candidates

Today, we're seeing a new mindset emerge in the job market: companies recruit candidates by evaluating them, but candidates are also evaluating the company.

It's a new two-way recruiting mindset. Candidates feel empowered to opt out of a tech hiring process if the offer doesn't seem to meet their expectations — and companies need to adapt to that.

To meet candidate expectations and encourage them to take part in your tech hiring processes, this article gives you 10 tips for presenting your company effectively to candidates.

Tip #1: Present the company's project and vision

As a recruiter, you need to present your company in a way that's both attractive and honest, including its vision and project. Clear communication is prepared before meeting the candidate.

This presentation should be deliverable in your own words — that is, through a story you've built based on company information and that you genuinely believe in.

By doing so, you'll be able to build a balanced conversation with the candidate and answer their questions with a clear, composed message.

When you present your company, include the practical elements (founding, area of expertise, results, market positioning), but also and especially the company's values, both in the sociopolitical context and around employee well-being. That way you'll effectively highlight your employer brand.

This will let the candidate evaluate whether the company's values and vision, in addition to the project on a professional level, match their expectations. This clear presentation will lay the foundations of the tech hiring process by helping the candidate picture themselves at your company.

Tip #2: Clearly explain the role and its responsibilities

Once you've explained your company's project, vision, and values — that is, the global (but essential) foundations of the candidate's professional experience — it's very important to clearly explain the role and its responsibilities.

This way, the candidate can clearly picture themselves on the following points:

• The structure of the tech role: in addition to the role, level of responsibility, and daily tasks, include details on status, hierarchy, reporting, performance reviews, travel possibilities, etc.
• Compensation: present it as gross annual salary, and mention possible perks, bonuses, and how to earn them.
• Benefits: explain the perks of the role, the health insurance it may include, the available time off. Have a more detailed summary sheet on hand to share later.
• Hours and working arrangements: be ready to answer questions about the possibility of remote work and flexible hours (especially for adapting to a family setup).

A well-informed candidate will always be more inclined to continue a hiring process if they were able to realistically picture themselves in the role. If this information is unclear, the candidate will likely turn to a company that can give them those details.

The company's role here is to put themselves in the candidate's shoes and provide as many details as possible without being asked. Candidates are trying to plan their potential future at your company, which will require them to adapt their personal life.

The details provided about the company and the role will support the candidate through their professional transition and make them more open to adapting. It will also create an atmosphere of trust with the company, which has taken into account every concern tied to a job change.

Tip #3: Show the size and culture of the team within the company

To keep helping the candidate picture themselves in the tech role you're offering, clearly present the team they'd be joining. Each team generally has its own identity, made up of each person's personality and shared objectives.

So present the size, the human structure of the team, the goals that bring them together, and the work atmosphere. Show the candidate the roles they'd be most in contact with.

Finally, take into account the possible stress of day one: think about briefing the candidate on the onboarding period. Present an onboarding plan, including the welcome and the first tasks, as well as the people they can ask questions of during the ramp-up period.

Tip #4: Explain the value of the work and the tools used

During your presentation of the company, it's also useful to go into the detail of the working methods used in tech and the output. Mentioning these things gives the candidate more keys to understand the work being done. It lets them feel more included in a broader dynamic.

Likewise, it's recommended to list the main tools used at your tech company. That way, the candidate can keep picturing themselves in the working methodology of their future role, and also brush up on certain tools if needed — saving you ramp-up time.

Tip #5: Present the company's perks and mission

To do this, you can survey your current employees to gather the following points to share with candidates and highlight the company's image:

• What employees like about the company and the work they do.
• The perks that encourage them to stay.
• The reasons that made them want to work for your company, and not for another.

You can then highlight real opinions and real perks that will help the candidate feel confident.

You can also ask your team about the values that motivate them in working with you, which you can share alongside your company's mission and concrete objectives.

Tip #6: Share information about the hiring process and its duration

It's important to share with the candidate information about the hiring process you're embarking on together.

Potential candidates generally have several processes underway during their job search. Even if they only have one, they'll appreciate being able to picture themselves through the various stages of recruiting as well as a potential start date.

Each candidate will be able to visualize the potential tasks to prepare for and the key dates in the coming weeks or even months. They can plan to include these in their personal schedule and prepare as best they can.

Sharing this information with the candidate means you'll meet someone ready for the recruiting stages, and you'll see them at their best. It also lets you filter out candidates who wouldn't be available to finish your process, saving time and resources to avoid abandoned hires.

Tip #7: Describe career prospects, technical aspects, and skill development

In committing to a hiring process, a candidate must have qualifications, but they also expect this role to bring opportunities to learn, develop new skills, and grow professionally.

Take this into account and present these things concretely. Include in your presentation the various technical learnings the role will bring, and how the candidate will be able to develop new skills.

Don't forget to include the potential opportunities and training paths your company can offer: internal and external training programs, use of the CPF (French training account), and examples of employees who completed training during their employment at your company.

If possible, you can also mention the career growth opportunities within the company. You'll thus describe clear paths for professional growth, which is very attractive to a candidate. It lets them visualize their future prospects.

Tip #8: Offer real examples and employee stories

To picture themselves in the role, the team, and the company, the candidate needs to be able to identify with real employee experiences.

To do this, you can include in the presentation you've built so far testimonials from your team, as well as examples of concrete career growth made possible by the role you're offering.

Finally, you can also ask your team if any of them are available to be contacted (via LinkedIn for example) to answer candidate questions. That way, the candidate can put a face on a member of your team and have a conversation without the recruiter watching.

Tip #9: Provide information on the workplace and quality of life

If you work with the option of accessing a shared space, an office, or a coworking space, present a description so the candidate can picture themselves in their future workspace.

Present the efforts your company has made to build quality of life at work: if you have set up relaxation or rest areas, social spaces between colleagues, a quality dining area, or if non-work activities between teams are organized (after-works, team-building activities, etc.), don't hesitate to mention them!

Tip #10: Explain the problem-solving process and how the candidate can contribute

Finally, explain how your company handles conflicts and resolves problems. Be honest about it: candidates know that the workplace can be a source of tension. Presenting your company as a utopia free of conflict or worries can raise suspicions in the candidate.

Instead, lean on a tension-management process that's both effective and participatory. Show how leadership listens to feelings of unease and has put collective tools in place to resolve issues. It's important for the candidate to know that their feelings and opinions will be taken into account.