Managers in every industry know how easily tasks expand to fill the time available to do them. Hiring is no exception. Without strict controls on time, hiring may expand into a months-long process, racking up costs and causing unnecessary headaches. Worse, an overly long recruiting process may actually reduce your chances of finding the type of top talent you’re looking for, as star candidates find and accept offers elsewhere.
Fortunately, there are many ways to “cut the fat” from your recruitment process. Here are a few tips:
- Set a deadline. Choose a date by which you must have someone “in the seat,” and stick to it. By setting a deadline for your new hire’s first day, you control how long the entire recruitment process may take. You can then work backwards from this final date to set other deadlines, such as time for interviewing, reviewing resumes, and contacting a recruiter.
- Make timeliness a priority. Once you have a final deadline in mind, make sure the steps that lead to it are finished on time. Put tasks like reviewing resumes and scheduling interviews high on your priority list, and commit to prompt responses and feedback sent to recruiters and candidates.
- Consider prescreening. Resumes, reference checks, automated assessments, and other prescreening tools can speed up the hiring process by filling in basic information, allowing you to focus interview time on in-depth, skill-based questions. They can also help you identify leading candidates early, providing valuable information on where to focus your time and energy.
- Know what you need. An experienced recruiter can help streamline the recruiting process by identifying solid prospects – but only if your recruiter knows what kind of experience, talent, skills, and personalities your company needs. Before calling your recruiter, create a clear and concise description of each open position and the required qualifications. A recruiter can also help you determine whether the compensation package you’re offering is genuinely competitive within the industry, improving your chances of finding a great candidate who will accept an offer from your company.
At THE RIGHT STAFF, LLC, our experienced recruiters can help you streamline the recruiting process so you can focus on finding and keeping superstar talent. Contact us today to learn more!