Finding and retaining talented employees is a vital part of any successful business. Yet qualified employees can be difficult to find and hard to keep around, and replacing a salaried employee costs an average of 6–9 months salary.
Companies can cut down on employee turnover and cost of replacing an employee by having an effective recruitment process in place. Keep reading to learn more about the best practices and steps to a successful recruitment process.
What Is the Recruitment Process?
The recruitment process is the steps to drawing in and selecting a new employee to fill an opening in an organization. This job is usually done by managers, Human Resource Management (HRM), recruiters, or a combination of all three.
The recruitment process involves finding the candidate with the best skills, experience, and personality to fit the job. It requires a series of collecting and reviewing resumes, conducting job interviews, and finally selecting and onboarding an employee to start working for the organization.
What Makes a Good Recruitment Process?
A good recruitment process allows you to find qualified candidates quickly and efficiently. The process requires intentional planning and constant evaluation.
The recruitment process should be streamlined so each staff member has the tools and resources they need for their step in the process. For example, if a manager is tasked with conducting interviews, the recruiter or HR manager should make the process easier by providing the manager with a printed resume and background on the employee before the interview begins. The recruiter or HR manager should also inform a candidate about the full interview schedule so they aren’t left wondering about future steps in the process.
Here are other important elements of a solid recruiting process:
Maximize Automation
Use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to maximize your automation needs. You’ll be able to automate where you’re posting job listings, track the number of applicants, and filter resumes to find the most qualified applicants. With all the time saved, you’ll be able to spend more time nurturing relationships with potential hires.
Make Data-Driven Decisions
Invest in a comprehensive data analytics system to see how many people applied for a job, how many people were interviewed, where the best candidates came from, etc. Reflecting on the process with each hire will help improve the recruitment process over time.
Create an Employee Referral Program
Create an employee referral program to involve your employees in the recruitment process. They’ll be more motivated to spread the word about the opening, and they’ll likely lead you to more qualified candidates for the job. Organizations that use their employees’ networks can have a ten times larger talent pool to recruit from.
Steps to the Recruitment Process
Now that you know what a good recruitment process looks like, how do you create one for your business? We’ve broken things down into simple and actionable recruitment process steps:
1. Identify Your Needs
Create a list of needs before you create a job posting. It may seem easy to identify the hiring need when you’re replacing an employee who just left, but the task gets more difficult if you’re creating a new position or changing the responsibilities of a role.
2. Create a Recruitment Plan
Save time and energy by creating a recruitment plan. Strategize the best ways to get the word out about the job. Determine who will be reviewing resumes, scheduling interviews, and deciding on the right candidate.
3. Start Searching
Use keyword recruitment tools to cut down on your search time during the recruitment process. This can be the most time-consuming part of recruiting, and keyword tools can weed out unqualified applicants.
4. Recruit Top-Tier Candidates
The best candidates likely have many options, and you’ll need to maintain timely communication or they’ll quickly move on to other opportunities. Use a Mobile Hiring App to review top candidates quickly, right on your smartphone, whether you’re in the office or on the go.
5. Conduct a Phone Screening
Once you have your eye on certain applicants, conduct a phone screening to narrow down the selection process and make sure you want to take the time to interview the candidate in person. Make a list of the best interview questions to ask before you get started.
6. Interview in Person
Interviews should be conducted soon after a phone screening—ideally within a week. The process shouldn’t stretch on too long, or candidates may lose interest. Communicate with the interviewee about where you are in the process and how long it will take to get back to them with your decision. And then be sure to follow up, even if you decide they’re not a good fit.
7. Offering the Job
Just because you offer an employee a job doesn’t mean they’re going to accept. Take great care in this step of the process to present a desirable offer the candidate won’t want to pass up. Over 90 percent of people report being contacted by a manager can make them accept a job offer faster, so don’t be afraid to reach out. But expect the process to take time, and be ready to negotiate salary and benefits.
8. Onboarding a New Employee
Now that you’ve determined which candidate will be joining your team, the real work begins. Implement a new hire onboarding process so the candidate has a positive experience and can easily dive into the job you’ve hired them for.
Getting Started
By following these steps and guidelines, you’ll be on your way to finding a qualified candidate for your organization. The recruitment process may be tricky, but investing time in your strategy will be well worth the effort. Good luck!
