The Customer Success function is growing at an all time high right now, with more candidates going through the hiring process seeking a position in Customer Success than ever before. Here are three tips on increasing the effectiveness of the CSM hiring process to find the best fit for your team.
1) Be Clear on what Customer Success means for your Company
It is critical to have a clear definition of Customer Success within the team, within the company, and within the hiring process before a position is posted or a recruitment firm is engaged. As more companies are in the process of transitioning to a Customer Success model, responsibilities may include a blend of Customer Support, Account Management, and Customer Success. While this is happening, companies are trying to grow their Customer Success team, train their team, all while trying to support their customers to the best of their ability. This can be A LOT. Therefore, it is critical that the leaders of the organization, leaders of the Customer Success function, and the members of the Customer Success team align on what Customer Success means within the company. The more aligned the environment is, the easier it will be to hire new team members.
2) Have a Detailed Job Description
Once the organization understands and is aligned on their Customer Success function, the next thing to look at is the job description. The job description should be clear and transparent on what the position is and what the team needs.
Suggested items for the job description for the Customer Success role include:
- Title
- Years of experience
- What level is this hire?
- Why is this position being hired?
- Does this person need industry experience? What does that look like?
- What does the person’s responsibilities look like?
- Will this person have direct reports or indirect reports?
- What is the growth plan for this hire?
These items will ensure to create a job description that directly answers questions for the candidates considering the role. Finding strong Customer Success candidates is competitive. Being able to answer candidate questions up front will increase the quality of the hiring process.
3) Create a Positive Candidate Experience, Every Time
The candidate experience shows a great deal about a company and gives a sneak peak to the future employee about their potential employer. It is critical to have a positive candidate experience, every time.
The first step is to prepare the interviewing team on the candidate and what interview questions need to be asked. This helps ensure there is less overlap and all important questions are being asked and answered. This also shows the candidate that the interview team knows who they are and are prepared to speak to them about their experience.
It is important to be transparent on what step the candidate is on. If a candidate is interviewing with your company, then more than likely they are interviewing with other companies. It is important for them to understand the company’s interest and what stage they are in the process. This helps the candidate identify priority and timeline.
Providing candidate feedback is critical. It is very important that each candidate that is in the interview process receives timely feedback about their interviews. This keeps the candidate engaged and shows there is mutual respect in the interview process.
Swati Garg
Swati is the Founder and Managing Director of Melo Associates, a recruiting firm based in Chicago that focuses on Customer Success hiring. She understands the strong value CS teams provide and how truly critical it is for the business. Swati is passionate about connecting people, solving problems, and adding value to the people she meets. She has a background in Organization Development and Recruitment with a Masters in Human Resources from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is glad to be a part of The Customer Success Association and be involved in the community.
