Effective ways to streamline your hiring process
There are very few things that impact your client’s growth as much as the hiring process. That’s why agencies on average take about 36 days to shortlist the right candidates and fill a position. Taking up so many days to hire for critical positions actually slows down the client’s progress and hampers their team’s productivity. And if by any chance you get a bad hire, then that brings you back to square one while draining your time and resources. In this article, we’ll see 6 simple yet effective ways to make your recruitment process successful.
Streamlining Your Agency’s Recruiting Process
1- Understand What You Want
Hiring is an important investment and going into it without understanding the requirements can do more harm than good. So, set out with a clear and specific job description. Ideally, your description should have the specifics of the job profile and the required skills. Along with that, add suitable keywords to make your job advertisement appear in the relevant searches. Involve the department heads right from the beginning to assist you with creating a suitable description. Ensure that you also focus on the personality traits that you want in the candidate. To make the description unique and more informative, you can also add an honest company introduction. Mention the company culture and values it supports. It will help the candidates understand the opportunity better.
Key Takeaways:
- Write a clear and precise job description with the help of department heads.
- Ensure that the requirements are relevant and realistic.
- Use necessary keywords in the description to make it easier to find. Hiring is an important investment and going into it without understanding the requirements can do more harm than
good. So, set out with a clear and specific job description. - Add an honest company introduction with values and mission in it.
2- Choose a Recruitment Software
Preparing job descriptions is just the start of the process which is followed by tasks like managing the candidate pool, screening the resumes, scheduling interviews, and so on, till you select the final candidate. Manually maintaining the database and communicating with hundreds of candidates can be time-consuming and error-prone. And the cracks in your hiring process will show in the form of candidate abandonment rate. Imagine how easier your job would be if all this repetitive hard work is automated. It’ll allow you to focus more on
your training and retention strategy for long-term benefits. Preparing job descriptions is just the start of the process which is followed by tasks like managing the candidate pool, screening the resumes, scheduling interviews, and so on, till you select the final candidate. A reliable Applicant Tracking System can be a lifesaver in such situations. Such software will help you build and organize your candidate pool so that for every vacant position, you have a readily available prospect database. It can also provide you with a candidate pipeline and returns on efforts so that you make an informed decision based on data instead of assumptions.
Key Takeaways:
- Automate your repetitive tasks by implementing an ATS
- Maintain an updated candidate database to reduce search time when a new position needs to be filled
- Ensure that all the candidate communication is tracked in a single place for effective follow-ups
3- Smooth out Wrinkles in Your Screening Process
Planning an elaborate series of interview rounds doesn’t guarantee the best hiring. Instead, it loads you with additional tasks and exhausts the candidate. To get more done in less time, plan the candidate selection process wisely. A well-devised selection process can help you fill the position quickly and reduce candidate drop-offs. The first step in the selection process is resume screening. To save time here, you can automate this step with an ATS. Once you’ll have the shortlisted candidates, start with the phone screening. Screening with a phone call is effective in understanding whether the candidate meets the basic requirements or not. You can use this opportunity to verify the information provided in the resume, brief them about the role, understand their salary expectations, To streamline your interview process plan and ensure nothing gets overlooked, utilize daily planner apps. This approach can save time, keep candidates engaged, and facilitate efficient hiring decisions. The interviewers can prepare their questionnaire before coming to the meeting and take appropriate notes. After a panel round, you can proceed with a one-on-one interview with the executives and a skills test.
Key Takeaways:
- Don’t overwhelm yourself and the candidate with multiple rounds of interviews. Keep it a maximum of three with a combination of the panel, written, and one -to-one interviews
- Use automation for pre-screening to save time
- Set a clear agenda for each interview round and keep the candidate informed as well
4- Provide Constructive Feedback
It’s crucial to maintain a positive outlook and respect each candidate for the time they’ve given to the process. Instead of ghosting or sending a canned response to the rejected candidates, reach out to them with constructive feedback. Inform them what didn’t work out and what can be done to improve their chances of selecting the next time. It’ll not only create a positive impression but will also encourage the candidates to apply again in the future. This little change can also help you zero in on the qualities you want in your ideal candidates and make the hiring process easier in the future. Meanwhile, stay in touch with the selected candidates to keep them informed about the next steps and timeline. Engaging with the candidates will help you retain the top talents. You can create a candidate experience survey to keep improving your process.
Key Takeaways:
- Provide feedback to the rejected candidates to give them visibility into your selection process
- Stay in touch with the selected candidates to brief them
5- Remove the Obstacles for Candidates
Often when we set out our hiring processes, we get too finicky about collecting as much data as possible from the candidate to make screening easier. On the contrary, the more information you have, the more difficult it becomes to shortlist the candidates and make up your mind. It can also intimidate the candidates and prevent them from filling out a lengthy form just to apply.
While you’re on to streamlining your hiring process, make it easier for your candidates too to try for the position. Think about the platform where the candidate is applying for the position, is it user-friendly and easily accessible? Whether the information you’re asking is necessary at this stage for basic screening? Think about such questions and make the process smooth enough to attract suitable candidates. You can choose a couple of popular job portals apart from your website to share the advertisement. Ask only relevant questions which might not be available in their resume.
Key Takeaways:
- Make the application process smooth with the necessary questionnaire needed at the initial stage
- Use your recruitment website and a couple of popular job portals to attract more candidates
- Utilize effective tools for organizing interviews and tests