Finding and retaining talent is a vital part of any successful business. Yet the right people can be difficult to find and hard to keep around.
Companies can cut down on their people turnover and the cost of replacing a quality team-member by having an effective recruitment process in place.
What Is the Recruitment Process?
The recruitment process is the steps to attracting and selecting new talent to fill an opening in an organization. This role is usually done by managers, administrators, recruiters, or a combination of all three.
The recruitment process involves finding the candidate with the best skills, experience, and personality to fit the position. It requires a series of collecting and reviewing resumes, conducting appointments or interviews, and finally selecting and onboarding the new person to start working for/with 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 person has the tools and resources they need for their respective step in the process. For example, if a manager is tasked with conducting interviews, the administrator can make the process easier by providing the manager with a printed resume and background on the individual before the interview begins. The administrator can also inform a candidate about the full appointment process, so they aren’t left wondering about the next steps.
Here are other important elements of a solid recruiting process:
Use Automation to your advantage
Consider using an applicant tracking system (ATS) to maximize your automation needs. This allows you to automate where you’re posting job listings, track the number of applicants, and filter resumes to find the most suitable applicants.
Data analysis also allows you to see how many people applied for a position, how many people were interviewed, where the best candidates came from, etc. Reflecting on the process and subsequent data will help improve the recruitment process over time.
Steps to the Recruitment Process
Now that you know what a good recruitment process looks like, how do you create one for your business? Here, 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 a person 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 position. 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 or unsuitable applicants.
4. Move swiftly
The best candidates will likely have other options, so you’ll need to maintain timely communication, or they’ll quickly move on to other opportunities. Monitoring applications on your smartphone or tablet allows you to remain alert to incoming communications, 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 questions to ask before you get started.
6. Interview in Person
Interviews should be conducted soon after a phone screening—ideally within the same week. The process shouldn’t stretch on too long, or candidates may lose interest. Communicate with the individual about where you are in the process and how long it will take to get back to them with your decision. Always follow up, even if you decide they’re not a good fit.
7. Offering the position
Just because you offer a person a position 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.
8. Onboarding a New person
Now that you’ve determined which candidate will be joining your team, the real work begins. Implement a new person onboarding process so the candidate has a positive experience and can easily dive into the position you’ve recruited them for.
Getting Started
By following these steps and guidelines, you’ll be on your way to finding a qualified candidate for your organisation. The recruitment process may be tricky but investing time in your strategy will be well worth the effort.
