It’s the first quarter of 2022. How is your workforce looking? If you’re struggling to fill roles, retain employees, and motivate workers, then it’s time to rethink your current strategy.
The right hiring process can help you identify the right candidates, attract them to your business, and keep them happy in their roles. Yet, a weak one can have the exact opposite effect.
Today, we’re sharing a few tips that can help you strengthen your approach and transform your workplace from the inside out.
Analyzing Your Current Hiring Process
Before we dive into how to hire employees the right way, it’s important to take a close look at what you’re currently doing. Even if you don’t have a formally defined procedure, there’s still a method that you’re following.
A hiring process is any type of step-by-step method that your company uses to identify, recruit, and hire employees. If yours is optimized for success, then it will help you find prospects whose talents are ideally aligned with your brand.
While the unique elements of your process will be different from someone else’s, there are still basic guidelines that should govern your strategy. The general steps included in any hiring process will include:
- Creating compelling job descriptions
- Advertising openings and recruiting new hires
- Reviewing candidate applications
- Conducting interviews (via telephone and in person)
- Running background checks
- Contacting references
- Making hiring decisions
- Extending job offers
- Hiring, introducing, and onboarding new employees
Chances are, you are currently following this basic strategy, already. Yet, have you put steps in place to make sure you’re optimizing everything correctly? Let’s take a look at a few moves that can take your hiring process from drab to dynamic.
Encourage Colleague Participation
Hiring should not exist in a silo. If you’re the only one making the important decisions and reaching out to the candidates, then it’s easy to become overwhelmed and burned out. When this happens, it’s easier for unqualified prospects to enter into the gates.
As you seek to find employees who would be a great match for your company, invite your colleagues to join the cause. Allow them to sit in on the interviews, and even ask a few questions. After all, they’ll also be working with the new hire, and this gives them the opportunity to ensure they’re a good fit.
After the interview, discuss your initial observations. You need to know how your team members perceive each candidate, including if they think they’re a good match personality-wise. This helps offset your workload and encourages a more collaborative approach.
Create a Dynamic Brand
Did you know that 75% of all job applicants are passive candidates? This means that they’re employed and aren’t actively looking for a new job, but they’re staying open to any possibility.
One way to encourage them to give your company a second look? Create a brand that they can’t resist. Not only can this help you motivate new prospects, but it also lowers employee turnover.
A few ways you can strengthen your brand include:
- Optimize your online presence
- Respond to client reviews
- Stay active on social media
- Keep your company profile up-to-date
- Share regular updates on your company’s culture
When you create an active and engaging company brand, recruiting almost takes care of itself. Suddenly, interested applicants will be reaching out to you, and not the other way around.
Strengthen Your Job Descriptions
Are you running into a wall, unable to find the right candidate to fill your open positions? There’s a good chance that you’re not asking the right way.
A job description is the first interaction that an applicant has with your company. Make sure you’re making the right impression. While it’s important to make sure you’re clear on the job expectations, resist the urge to include a long list of duties and requirements.
Instead, use most of that space to describe what your company can do for the applicant. Briefly discuss your company culture, and the perks of working on your team. Keep it brief and concise, and highlight only the most important attributes that a qualified candidate will need.
Be Prepared to Act Quickly
Research shows that the best talent moves off the job market in just 10 days. If you come across a candidate whose skills, expertise, and experience match what you’re looking for, don’t hesitate to reach out and make that connection.
Even if you aren’t 100% sure that they’re the right person for the job, keep the conversation open and reach out frequently. Use this time to discuss more details about the position, and give them the opportunity to ask any questions that they might have.
This way, you can stay on their radar and keep them engaged. Otherwise, dragging your feet could cause them to lose interest and abandon your offer for a competitor’s.
Avoid Offbeat Questions
We’ve all been there.
You’re sitting in a conference room and a prospective employer wants to learn more about your personality. So, they ask you a random question such as, “If life were a game of baseball, what position would you play?” Or, “Who would you choose if you could have dinner with three people from the past?”
While the answers you receive from those types of questions might be interesting, they’re unlikely to yield much information about a candidate’s actual competencies. Don’t waste your time (or theirs) with these nonsensical questions that don’t add any value to your interview.
Instead, find out if they have what it takes to do the job well. Ask them to describe their skill set, and tell you about their most recent work experience. You can ask questions about their interests and try to gauge their character, but make sure the inquires you pose are relevant to the opening in question.
Leverage the Power of Technology
We live in the Digital Age, and we now have easier and more advanced access to candidates than ever before. With just a few clicks, you can reach a global network of qualified individuals who could be a great fit for your company.
Why not use that connectivity to your advantage?
Post your job openings on your company’s social media page, and encourage your followers to share the link with their own communities. You can also use these platforms to learn more about each candidate, including their interests, hobbies, and lifestyle.
Another benefit to optimizing your social media presence? It sends a message to current and prospective employees that you’re a tech-focused company that’s ready to keep up with the times. In 2022, a company without a Facebook page or a Twitter profile can look antiquated and out of touch, and that does nothing to improve your recruitment efforts.
Another way to stand out as a tech-centric workplace? Consider automating some or all of your onboarding documents. A solution like WorkBright’s Remote I-9 program allows employees to complete 100% of their onboarding forms remotely, before their first day.
Conduct Work Tests
Are you looking for an effective way to make sure that your top candidates are up to the challenge of working on your team? Consider setting up a trial work period or a testing phase, where they can get a real-world sense of what to expect.
While these scenarios might require a small up-front investment, the results are well worth it. This is a great way to ensure that the skills and qualifications relayed in an interview are indeed accurate. In addition, this initial stage also allows you to see how each candidate interacts with the other people on your team.
Don’t Neglect Personality Checks
Are you in between a few candidates, and can’t decide which one you should hire? As long as everyone has the same basic skill set, it’s time to take personalities into account.
As you review each individual, keep in mind that they can eventually acquire certain secondary skills. However, they can’t exactly change their personality. Consider how each one will fit into your company culture, and whether there will be any pushback or resistance from the team when you bring them on board.
Even the best-qualified hire could bring your entire company down if there’s friction right from the start. Yet, it’s important to make sure you’re measuring them fairly. As you analyze their personality traits, make sure you’re only considering ones that are relevant to the job.
For instance, if you’re hiring a new accountant, you don’t necessarily need them to be compassionate and empathetic. However, those same skills are critical in a teaching or healthcare position.
Manage Your Online Reviews
Wondering why you’re having a difficult time retaining or recruiting employees? It might be time to check your company’s online reviews. If past employees are leaving negative feedback on sites like Glassdoor, then it could have a detrimental effect on your recruitment strategy.
Keep an eye on those testimonials, and reach out to clarify them if necessary. If you notice details that are incorrect, you can also take actions to remediate them. While you can’t exactly erase your profile of any negativity, people want to see that you’re taking steps to improve your reputation and keep future employees happy.
Optimize Your Hiring Process Today
A company is only as strong as its greatest asset: the employees who keep it going! As you look to expand your workforce, it helps to make sure you have the right hiring process in place, first.
The steps above can help you optimize every step of this journey, from initial engagement to final onboarding. Along the way, you can rest assured that you’ll attract qualified, interested employees who will strengthen your team and help you reach new clients.
Looking for more business and tech advice? Check our Business section for other informative guides!
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