As the hiring crisis continues, it’s essential to improve your company’s recruiting process so you can successfully compete for talent.
In today’s tightening labor market, competition for talent is fierce. In fact, recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor shows there were 4.6 million more available jobs than unemployed workers as of December 2021. The outlook can be discouraging for business leaders grappling with labor shortages and skills gaps.
If approached in the right way, the recruiting process is a key HR strategy that can help generate a better applicant pool, save time and money by making better hires, and fill critical, complex, or unique roles. Though it takes time and skill to plan, research, and attract the most viable candidates, it’s an investment that will pay off in valuable human capital.
Here are seven ways to upgrade your recruiting process so you can upgrade your HR strategy and make better hires.
Seven ways to improve your recruiting process
1. Build a staffing plan
Make a list of the positions you need to fill over the next six months to one year and when each new hire needs to start. Estimate the amount of time it will take to recruit and hire for each position, and then work backwards to plan a timeline for your hiring deadline. (Hint: most positions take a minimum of eight weeks to fill, while hard-to-fill roles can take three to six months.)
The biggest predictor of making a bad hire is rushing the recruiting process, so start early, plan it out, and take your time!
2. Update your job descriptions
Once you’ve identified the positions, develop accurate and up-to-date job descriptions. What exactly are the expectations, skills required, and responsibilities for each role? Outline these in detail. You’ll also need to ensure the content of each description is compliant with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
In addition, use the job descriptions to guide your HR strategy for onboarding and new-hire training. This will help to ensure employees are sufficiently trained and clearly understand performance expectations, ultimately improving retention rates.
3. Create detailed candidate profiles
Then, go deeper: who would be your ideal job candidate for each position? What personality traits, strengths, and characteristics would they possess, and how would they fit into your company culture? This step is essential for putting the right people in the right seats.
4. Develop compelling job postings
Next, finesse this information into concise, attention-grabbing job postings that will attract qualified candidates. Each should provide a clear understanding of the job requirements, while showcasing your organization’s benefits, culture, and uniqueness.
As you create the job posting, ask yourself:
Does it provide a clear understanding of the responsibilities and expectations for this role?
How can my organization stand out from competitors advertising similar job openings?
Would I be eager to apply for this position after reading it?
5. Advertise in the right places
To attract a quality talent pool, proactively source candidates from a variety of locations. Here are a few ways to help spread the word and get maximum exposure:
Publish job opportunities on the careers page of your company website
Advertise open positions on major online job boards, as well as local and industry-specific job boards
Share hiring announcements on your personal and company social media channels, and encourage employees to share with their social networks
Distribute details to your professional network
Implement an employee referral program
6. Use pre-employment assessments
Utilizing pre-employment assessments is a smart HR strategy used by successful businesses. That’s because they enhance the recruiting process by providing a more accurate assessment of each candidate’s job-specific skills, as well as personality, behavior, and cultural fit.
You might choose to test applicants as a screening tool before you ever get to the interview phase, or later on in the interviewing process so you can narrow down the most promising candidates. In either case, pre-employment testing is valuable for weeding out unqualified candidates early on, crafting interview questions that reveal greater insights, and making fair, data-based hiring decisions.
7. Streamline the process with an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
Need to hire many employees throughout the year? Consider implementing an applicant tracking system (ATS) to improve your recruiting efficiency and results. An ATS will allow your organization to collect applicant information in one place and automatically organize them based on experience and skill set, while filtering out unqualified candidates and identifying the best prospects. The good news? Most payroll software systems offer ATS, so you don’t have to invest in a costly system to reap the benefits!
With a little planning and forethought, it’s possible to boost your recruiting process so you can mitigate many challenges of the hiring crisis.
Don’t have the time or capacity to handle recruiting in-house? We can help!
Our expert HR Advisors are skilled at sourcing, vetting, and hiring quality candidates for organizations of all sizes and across industries. With our comprehensive, customizable Recruiting Services, we’ll help to enhance one of your key people operations so you can focus on growing your business.
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