3 Ways to Shorten the Recruitment Process
If your recruitment process is too drawn out, you’re at risk of losing qualified candidates. When people are applying for a new job, they rarely only apply for one role. And if they’re talented, they’ll probably get multiple job offers. Then if another company gets back to the applicant quicker, or only has one interview rather than two or three, they may end up hiring the candidate you were most interested in.
A long recruitment process also implies to candidates that you’re not sure about them. This in turn can lead to applicants doubting their own ability to perform the role, and could withdraw themselves from the application process.
The problem is, you want to be certain that you’re hiring the right person. Recruitment can be costly, especially when done in-house. You don’t want to have to be constantly advertising for the same role, if you don’t get it right initially. Your new employee has to be fully qualified and easily fit in with the company culture, and determining these things can take time.
So how do you shorten the recruitment process, without running the risk of hiring someone not fully qualified for the job? We’ve explored three great ways to make recruitment quicker below!
1. Carefully Consider Your Job Description
A lot of businesses assume that writing a job advert is incredibly straightforward, but it’s probably more complicated than you might think. You’re not simply advertising a role, you’re also trying to get a candidate’s attention. Your job description has to stand out from the crowd, from a competitive salary to a number of perks and benefits.
One way to stand out is to discuss your company culture and values. Are you particularly focused on environmental solutions, or do you support a particular charity? If a candidate has similar views to that of your business, they will be more likely to apply for the position.
Other things to consider include the requirements you ask candidates to meet. These need to be reasonable but comprehensive. For instance, if you’re looking to hire a software developer, make sure you list all programmes the candidate will need to be proficient in, along with a list of desirable qualifications.
Use All Your Resources
Along with writing your job description in an engaging way, you also need to consider how candidates are going to view it. While it’s a good idea to post the job ad on your website, you can’t expect the best candidates to find it there. You need to publish the job description on lots of job boards, as well as use more creative methods to get the word out there. For example, you can ask your current employees for referrals, and set up an incentive scheme should the candidate they recommend is successful.
It’s also important to use the people in your network to more widely publicise your job advert. If you attend industry events, let others know that you’re hiring. Make sure you’re posting about the role on social media too, especially on LinkedIn. This is becoming a more common way for people to find new job opportunities.
2. Focus on Skills Not Formal Training
To quote Aladdin, some businesses are looking for ‘the diamond in the rough’. A mystical candidate who ticks every box, from years of experience to a highly specialised post graduate degree. But perfect candidates don’t always exist, and if they do, listing too many requirements in your job description can be intimidating for anyone. Your job ad may therefore be up for months without any applicants.
For most jobs, it’s good to remember that candidates don’t need formal qualifications to perform their role well. There are some obvious exceptions (healthcare professionals, lawyers, teachers etc.) but within a lot of industries, it’s best to focus on skills based hiring. This will allow you to access a wider talent pool, and should also improve your retention rates and employee diversity.
It’s furthermore worth noting that if someone has talent, you offer them training, internally or externally, so that they are even better suited for the role. The candidate may not meet every requirement when hired, but should do within a relatively short space of time.
3. Hire a Recruitment Specialist
As mentioned above, some organisations make the mistake of hiring a candidate too quickly, which can lead to employing someone who isn’t a fantastic fit. This in turn will mean another costly search for the right candidate.
In these cases, it may be better to hire a recruitment agency like Pineapple Recruitment. Specialists can often have an incredibly quick turnaround, as they already have a pool of qualified candidates available. So the process of searching for a candidate should be quicker, and you’ll be saving yourself time when it comes to putting in the legwork!
Speak to one of our experts today to see how Pineapple Recruitment can help you fill your next job vacancy – we’d love to hear from you!