There’s no disputing the fact that we’re experiencing some turbulent times right now, and securing the top talent isn’t always easy. In a candidate-short market, time is of the essence- and if you don’t want your next star player slipping through the net, you need to make your recruitment process slick and efficient. Here are five ways you can speed up the hiring process.
Get the job ad right, first time
First things first, the ad you put out there matters, and if you want to hire the right person quickly, you need to get it right first time. Having a plan of action is essential for this.
Using job boards can be a great way to get the word out there, but be prepared for a high volume of applicants. If you can, go for more niche job boards that allow you to reach the people who are right for the position more easily. Use social media too, to reach potential candidates who might not necessarily be job seeking right now. Linked In, for example, is a great tool for recruiting.
Knowing where to advertise is one thing, but getting the ad right is another. Make sure it’s optimised for mobile, and make sure you check your language use too. You need to be specific about the role, the level and the salary. You also need to ensure that you’re using inclusive language and that your ad accurately reflects your company culture. This helps to not only encourage diverse applicants, but ensures that your ad reaches those who are more likely to fit in with your organisation too.
Hire internally
Encouraging your existing staff members to apply for the position is a great move, and for many reasons. Existing employees already know you and the company, they’re somewhat familiar with the job and so will need less training, and there’s a much lower risk in hiring them too. You already know they work well within your company, and hiring from within can do a lot for staff morale in general.
You might also want to take advantage of employee referral schemes; asking employees to get involved with big decisions can help them to feel valued, and at the same time can open up the talent pool exponentially. At the end of the day, your current employees are very well placed when it comes to recommending skilled candidates, so utilising that during the recruitment process can really speed things up.
Streamline the shortlisting process
The shortlisting stage can be very time consuming, and this is the last thing you want after spending so long on getting the ad right. You can speed things up here by keeping a level head and an un-biased approach to the process. Going through your applications and their accompanying CVs ‘blind’ is one approach that could work for you. Trust your gut instinct. Don’t be tempted to invite someone for interview because you’ve heard of them but their skills don’t match you requirements.
Viewing applications blind really does help to cut out unintentional biases towards candidates that can also slow the process down- helping to make it all much more streamlined. You can also use software for candidate screening, which can cut down on time hugely, plus there are arguments for automated hiring too, which can help take care of lots of the admin that usually weighs you down at this stage.
Be flexible in your interview approach
Once you have your candidates for interview, how you manage this stage becomes crucial. It’s vital that you adopt a flexible approach here, so that the right people are able to attend. Consider telephone or video interviews, or interviews outside of the normal working week. Group interviews are also a great way to speed things up during this stage too.
Make the offer- sooner rather than later
When you know who you want for the position, don’t delay. Make that job offer, and make it a good one. Negotiate starting dates as soon as possible, and use a recruitment agency to help you fine tune the contract to everyone’s advantage.
The longer you take to make a job offer, the more likely it is that your candidate will go elsewhere, so being as efficient as possible here is crucial. For more advice and information on how we can help you streamline your recruitment process for success, get in touch today. We can also help you build a more long term plan for recruitment too, building your talent pool to stand you in better stead the next time a position needs filling.