With so many factors involved in the hiring process, it’s important to hire the best person for the role – and to do it quickly.
A hasty, unsuitable hiring decision can be costly down the line, yet taking too long can cause you to miss out on the ideal candidate. Leaving a position open also puts pressure on the rest of your employees to cover the extra workload.
By focusing on shortening the hiring process, you can eliminate these areas of concern without compromising on the quality of your new hires.
1. Establish a hiring process that everyone is committed to
Before you start reviewing applications, you need to establish a hiring process. This is essential because it will ensure that everyone involved is aware and committed to each step.
Have a discussion on your hiring process to address any potential concerns upfront, not during the middle of interviews.
- Decide how many rounds of interviews will be needed.
- Define who actually needs to be involved.
- Block calendars for interviews.
- Determine who has the final say on a hire
If only HR and your recruiters are aware of the hiring process, you leave too much to chance for all hiring managers involved.
Always make sure you have a contingency plan worked into your hiring process. That way, if scheduling conflicts arise, everyone knows the process to follow.
2. Know your hiring needs early on
If you have cyclical hiring, keep track of what positions are needed and when they are required. Start proactively hiring for these roles 1-2 months before they are required.
Keep assessing your needs throughout the year, as they are likely to change. This will give you time for the hiring process and to schedule any training that a role may require.
3. Define the role before you hire
The first step in the hiring process should always be to reassess a role before filling it again. It’s the perfect opportunity to develop a role into what you need it to be. For example, you may want to add or remove duties.
If the last time you hired for this position was five years ago, the responsibilities would have most likely changed.
Make sure to update job descriptions, review salaries, and determine hours and benefits. On the other hand, you may look to change the position altogether.
Take it a step further and run your job ad through a gender decoder to find subtle bias you may be using. It’s a small step that will help you reach your gender equality goals faster.
Either way, do all of this before you advertise your position opening.
4. Keep communication going through the hiring process
Don’t let good candidates you’ve interviewed fall by the wayside because of bad hiring practices.
Make sure they understand what your hiring process looks like at the end of their first interview. That way, they know when to expect the next stage of interviews and when they will hear from you.
When you decide who you want to hire, make sure to follow up and let those unsuccessful candidates know. This provides closure on a role and allows them to return to their job search.
Staying in contact with interviewed candidates is so rarely done that, even when you are delivering “bad news”, you are still presenting your company in the best light.
5. Use a staffing agency
Often, hiring managers and HR are hesitant to reach out to a staffing agency due to cost concerns. However, costs are more than offset by the increase in quality candidates and decreased hiring times.
Agencies like Airswift have a pool of qualified candidates and are constantly looking for the best-in-class talent. As we work so closely with our clients, we understand the specifics of a role and can accurately portray that to qualified candidates.
Get to know how a recruiter works and how they can help you with all your hiring needs. To find out more about how we can assist you, contact us here.
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