5 Ways to Improve Your Hiring Process

Are your recruitment efforts falling a bit flat? Are you looking to positively impact your hiring outcomes? It may be time to improve your process in place. Many employers or hiring managers are the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type, but the best company’s know in their heart of hearts how critical the hiring process is to a business’s success. If you need a couple pointers on how to implement better practices and policies during your next recruitment period, keep reading for our top five suggestions:

1. Update your careers page

Before your recruitment starts, take the time to update your Careers page on your company website. Remember that candidates are likely to be as curious about your company as you are about them, and they’ll probably enter your business name into a search query. Hopefully they can read through some good reviews on Glassdoor, after which point they’ll scope out your site. It should be informative, listing information such as departments and titles therein, but it should also be genuine and user-friendly. Add images or videos from company events as well as employee quotes or stories which encapsulate your businesses culture.

2. Start with the job description

To prevent expensive employee turnover, you need to start by bringing the right people through the door in the first place. This is easier to accomplish if you write a stellar job description to draw in the best candidates. Don’t make it too long-winded or overfilling with detail; your potential employee may feel overwhelmed. You do want to note the specific day-to-day tasks he or she will be expected to perform, the skills that are required, and the qualifications necessary to be considered for the role.
Focus on what your company can offer the candidate, such as benefits or an incredible work environment, in order to attract the best batch. Use your job description to express your company’s culture, values and mission statement as reflected in videos, photos, blogs and on social media.

3. Screen potential applicants ahead of time

Within your job description, mention that your company policy institutes pre-employment background checks during the hiring process. Screening your potential employees is critical; you never know if someone might be lying about who they say they are what criminal history they could be hiding. If you’re among the many employers who find themselves wondering “How long does it take for a background check?”, you might be surprised to learn that you can get results back almost instantaneously in some cases. Even if you wait until after the interview to screen an applicant, be sure to mention the background check in the job post; those who won’t give their permission need not apply.

4. Try to save time

Once applicants begin submitting their resumes and you identify people worth interviewing, consider saving both of your times by requesting a phone interview during the first phase of the hiring process. Over the phone, you can ask the candidate a few simple questions to see if they have the basic knowledge required for the job while saving yourself the time of a formal meeting.
In the interest of time, feel free to ask your candidate for a sample of their work so you can ensure their performance meets your satisfaction before they come in for an interview.

5. Implement a panel

After vetting an applicant over the phone, it’s time to invite them in for a formal interview. If you’re not already doing so, implement a panel and get more people involved in the hiring process. It’s important to weigh in multiple thoughts and opinions regarding candidates in order to see how the team perceives the personalities of the people who might be joining them. A panel interview system makes sure everyone is onboard with the hiring decision, and can better protect against workplace strife down the road.
After the panel interview, be sure to keep all candidates in the loop throughout the remainder of the hiring process. Set reminders to follow up with anyone you’ve screened or interviewed—even those who have been disqualified. Keep in mind that if a candidate has a bad experience, they could write a negative reviewabout your company online. However, by refining and sharpening your current hiring process, you’ll see your recruitment efforts go much further.