Hiring cycles can be a nightmare. It takes months to set everything up, make your final selections, and get the candidates going. You may not have that long, and your organization may suffer due to a complicated recruiting cycle. You can’t operate to full capacity unless you have the right people, and the right amount of them. Implementing some small changes can help streamline your recruiting process, which will in turn allow you to function to your full potential.
Create the Right Job Description
Making the job description as thorough as possible will save you work in the future. Qualified applicants will fully understand the job they’re applying for, and you won’t have to be as concerned about underqualified individuals applying for the position if they’re already aware of what it entails. Talented candidates will know exactly what you need and enter prepared to deliver exactly that. Delivering information in clear language should always be at the top of your list of priorities.
Don’t Let the Good Candidates Get Away
Most organizations receive applications electronically, which allows them to be reviewed instantly. You should be thoroughly exploring résumés and expediting the most promising ones to the top of your list. Don’t wait too long to respond to the best candidates for the position. The good ones go fast, and if the competitor responds faster than you do, guess where that talented individual is going to go? Recognize greatness when you see it, and send emails or make phone calls as quickly as you can.
Keep Everyone in the Loop
There are a lot of hoops to go through between recruitment and hiring, and these are very time consuming. Expressing interest and disappearing will damage your flow. Whether or not the applicant has already sat for an interview, you need to stay in touch. Set aside five minutes to give people a call and let them know what’s going on. If the candidates are made familiar with the process, they’re more likely to remain engaged with the process. If someone is waiting too long, their wandering eyes may spot another opportunity, and that can send you straight back to square one.
Document Interviews Thoroughly
Having to clarify information is a waste of time. Skimming over important details might as well be worse. After the interview, immediately document everything that transpired. During an interview, you won’t have time to take notes of everything the candidate said. Voice dictation is the simplest way to do this. Speaking into a recorder or your computer about the things that stood out to you the most, as well as anything that may weigh significantly on the final decision making, is an excellent way to keep all of that information fresh and intact. For an old school approach, type up a quick document on the candidate. Either way, you’ll be able to share this information with others involved in the process.
Have an Exit Strategy for Bad Interviews
You’re stuck with a babbling person who is vastly underqualified for the position, and the candidate you’ve been looking for could be stuck in the waiting room. What do you do? You need to have a plan in place to truncate bad interviews that are wasting your time. The old “emergency phone call” trick works wonders if you’re worried about hurting someone’s feelings. Emphasizing that something will be the final question can help you slip away just as easily.
Recruitment cycles can be daunting, but you don’t have to feel overwhelmed. Changing your habits to perfect your process will send you speeding down the path to success.
