Hiring can be a time-consuming process and without an efficient strategy in place it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
In this article we’ll explore 5 ways employers can improve their hiring process and get the results they desire.
5 Ways to Improve Your Hiring Process
1. Consider where you’ll begin your search
As with all things in business, the first step to getting started is to know your target audience and where to reach them. You will need to ask yourself the following if you want to get your job advert seen by as many potential candidates as possible:
- What social media channels are they using?
- How can you access those channels?
Knowing where and how to access candidates is important because it maximises your chances of finding a quality hire. You could consider reaching out to candidates through social media sites like LinkedIn or popular job platforms such as We Work Remotely.
Creating an effective distribution campaign is essential to success when looking for candidates.
Once you have identified and created a map of what channels candidates are using, you will need to tailor your ad to suit the medium and audience.
Just as important as getting applicants to your job by posting it, is getting the RIGHT candidates to apply. Volume without quality equals a lot of time spent on unproductive administrative work, and either no hire or the wrong hire.
2. Fine tune your job descriptions
To maximise your chances of finding great candidates, it makes sense to make your job descriptions clear and concise.
To do this it’s important to know what job seekers actually care about.
For example, you may be tempted to start your job description with a paragraph on company culture, mission or values. However, research by LinkedIn has shown that job seekers tend to skim past sections the most.
“It’s not that candidates don’t care about your company, culture, or mission—it’s just that they can get that info elsewhere after they learn about the role.”
Instead you could consider adding a link or other material which goes over this in more detail, cutting out this section entirely.
You may be wondering what to talk about then if not your company?
The most important information for candidates is the day-to-day ins-and-outs of the job. Consequently, an effective job advert may answer the following:
- What is expected of them in the day-to-day
- How much they’ll be paid
- Whether they can realistically get the job or not
- What a successful hire is expected to have achieved in the first few months
One reason for high turnover in the first year is down to a miscommunication of expectations. By setting clearly defined goals for candidates and communicating these expectations in your advert, you give them a tangible insight into the role.
For employers this has the added benefit of increasing the likelihood of finding the right hire and reducing first year turnover.
3. How will you assess candidates?
Something worth considering before publishing your job advert is exactly how you’re going to assess candidates. Whether you decide to go with technical assessments, online or in-person interviews, you need to be sure that you can handle the number of applications you may receive.
Because good developers don’t hang around.
It's important to evaluate or at least identify your top picks quickly before they’re off the market. This may mean adjusting your expectations of the skills candidates will need for the job.
Consider using a skills-based hiring approach when optimising your job descriptions.
4. Keep records!
Candidates want the hiring process to be brief, with timely and meaningful updates.
Failing to meet this expectation can damage their perception of your company, because at this stage they may still be forming an opinion of your company.
A good way to tackle this is to keep records at every stage of the process. This can save you a lot of trouble because it will help remind you to contact candidates at regular intervals and keep track of where candidates are in the funnel.
Companies can track applications at every stage by using an applicant tracking system, or ATS for short. Some of the ones we’d personally recommend are Greenhouse and Recruitee.
5. Go the extra mile
Finally, your commitment to going above and beyond might just be the thing that makes you stand out from competitors.
A positive candidate experience no matter the result can be a competitive advantage. It turns candidates into brand ambassadors and makes them:
- More likely to accept your offer
- More likely to apply in future
- More likely to recommend your company to others
Candidates who have a negative experience on the other hand, are 72% more likely to share this experience online and/or with their friends. A further 27% may actively discourage others not to apply.
Providing a consistent standard of excellence at every step of the way keeps your company at the forefront of candidates minds and reaffirms that they are making the right choice choosing your company over any other offer.