Just like with any other procedures involved in running a business, the recruitment process is an investment that requires smart strategies to see a return. Plenty of companies have complex hiring protocols and procedures that often drag out the hiring process for too long. Take note that the longer the role is open in your company, the higher your potential costs will be. For such reason, it’s imperative to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of the recruitment process.
To help you in this matter, we’ve listed a few tips on how you can streamline your hiring process and save you some tears and sweet.
Evaluate pre-screening procedures
The first thing to consider if you want to do a pre-screening with your candidates. This can be done through a questionnaire, phone interview, and other methods. Having preliminary interview questions is actually helpful in gathering information about the candidates that they didn’t include in their CVs and reducing the time for the following interview.
To make things much easier, you can have them take an online survey designed around the experience, knowledge, and skills you are looking for. Such pre-screening exams should be around 20 to 30 minutes long. As for phone interviews, 15 to 200 minutes is ideal.
Target job descriptions and distribution
Don’t limit your job descriptions to the things you are looking for. Make sure to include things that an ideal candidate is looking for. They should fit the type of individuals you want to hire, from the ambitions to the personality. Also, put the exact details regarding the position.
This helps minimize the volume of unqualified candidates applying. While having many applicants have its perks, doing so actually takes more resources and time. You need to sort out the applications and screen them out one by one, with most of them being unqualified.
Aside from the descriptions, make use of the right mediums to distribute your job postings. Don’t just post them on your website. For instance, there are sites like LinkedIn and Indeed that offer a wide range of candidates. You might also consider posting on your social media pages like on Twitter or Facebook. Opt for places that can give you different pools of candidates.
Invest in a modern recruitment system
Relying on your email inbox and doing everything manually can take too much time and effort. If you are not using a recruitment system yet, now’s the time to get one. An SaaS is beneficial for organizing and sorting out applications based on certain keywords and individual skillsets. It also allows you to categorize the resumes and access them right away when you need to.
Using such a system eliminates the need for manual sorting and organization that often drags the hiring process. Plus, you are also creating an extensive database of applications that you look into in the future.
Consider hiring a third-party
In case you don’t have the resources, time, and people to thoroughly process and screen candidates, hiring another professional is always ideal. Today, you can find tons of reputable companies that offer online employment verification systems, personality and integrity tests, talent and skill testing, employee background checks, and more.
These companies are equipped with experienced people and the necessary tools to conduct quality and strict pre-employment assessments on your behalf. Furthermore, most of them offer a flexible pricing structure in which you will only pay for what you need, no extra charges, and no hidden fees.
Lean on existing staff members
The last suggestion is to turn into your existing employees. Including them in your recruitment strategy can help you cut costs and save time. The first thing you can do is assess if you have employees to promote for the role. Hiring inside won’t require you to spend great resources and time checking their background or training them from scratch. This also enables you to show your people that you support their career advancement and value them.
Next, you can leverage your people as recruiters and create an internal employer branding team. You can provide them with quality copy and images that they can post on their social media profiles. This approach can help you get more applications from quality candidates.
Streamlining your hiring process is essential for any company. Plan how you can leverage your resources and decide only based on real data you have on your hand. Don’t forget to also follow our tips above in your quest to finding quality employees and meet your full capacity for productivity without delays.
