Although many businesses take steps to improve employee retention, the fact is that you may soon find yourself needing to hire new individuals to fill vacancies. This process can seem never-ending, and for both employer and employee alike, it can often feel both tedious and stressful. However, there are ways to make the hiring process a lot more efficient and a lot less distressing. We’re sharing some of our top tips that’ll help you streamline your hiring process and ensure you hire candidates who are actually right for the position.
Implement an employee referral program: If you know from experience that the flow of viable candidates tends to slow down at a certain time of year or you’re simply struggling to find qualified individuals who are a good fit for both the position and your company culture, you may be missing out on a great way to staff your team. An employee referral program can encourage your employees to share job notices on social media and get workers interested in the future of their team. Plus, when you receive a personal referral from a trusted employee, you can go into an interview with additional knowledge and confidence.
Work with job placement agencies: Having to place ads, weed through resumes, and schedule and conduct interviews all on your own can be incredibly daunting, particularly if you’re in a time crunch. You may not even be able to find the right candidate for the job, which will force you to either extend your search or to settle for someone who doesn’t quite meet your criteria. Ultimately, both of these options will translate into some kind of loss for your company. By working with a staffing company, you’ll gain access to highly skilled candidates without having to scour the internet on your own or sort through piles of cover letters. Because job placement agencies understand exactly what you’re looking for, the whole process will be much simpler and you won’t need to spend nearly as much time or effort finding the right person for the position.
Utilize social media: Even if you do choose to work with a staffing company, you may want to supplement your search (or at least check out their candidates) on social media. Around 93% of recruiters look at a candidate’s social media profile, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t do the same. You can often get a good feel for a candidate from their social media activities or accounts on platforms like LinkedIn; this can give you a more complete picture of an individual, rather than simply relying on a resume or interview alone. You can even post targeted ads for applications on Facebook, though this may not be appropriate (or easier) for every situation or industry.
Improve job descriptions: In order to staff your business to the best of your ability, you need to make sure that your job descriptions stand out and are reflective of what the position really entails. These descriptions should be clear and accurate with a personal touch. In general, veer away from overused terms like “hardworking” and “dedicated,” as these should be a given and won’t really help you find the right candidate. Use specifics, show the position’s value, and give an idea of what the company is like as a whole. This will simultaneously attract qualified candidates and thin out ones who aren’t fit for the position.
By asking for help from current employees, working with job placement agencies, using social media, and fleshing out your job descriptions, you can easily improve your current hiring process and ensure that both you and potential new hires have a better idea of what your business needs. For more information on how job placement agencies can help you achieve your hiring goals, contact us today.