Statistics show that on average, a corporate job post receives 250 resumes. How can an HR department sort through and interview the potential candidates in an efficient way? What are the signs that someone is not right for the job? Where can you improve your hiring process and lower your turnover? Improving this process can help you find the right people and not spend months interviewing ones that are not a good fit. Keep reading to learn more about ways to improve your hiring process.
1. Ask Focus Questions
Questions are a large part of the interview process, whether it is on the initial call or in an in-person setting. It is important to ask questions that you cannot find the answers to on their resume. You can likely infer how their past experience will help with this position, so ask deeper questions that their previous job titles and responsibility aren’t already saying. Asking additional questions that are unrelated to the position can also help you see the candidate’s personality more than a job-related question might. This is important because it is how you can differentiate between people when they have similar answers to the other questions that were asked.
2. Conduct a Background Check
Your company may already have this as part of the hiring process, but it is a quick way to help you know more about the candidate and whether or not they are a fit for your business. The potential legal issues that can show up on this will be information that you are unlikely to find as part of your questioning about the job. There are employee background check services that serve as a third-party to conduct it for you. This keeps the potential for bias out of the equation because they won’t know whether they are checking your top candidate or the one that is least likely to get the job.
3. Ask Your Current Employees for Help
The best assets that you have in the hiring process are the people that are already on your team. They know the position better than anyone because they do that same work every day. Whether they help you with candidates or send you qualified references, who you hire has a direct effect on them.
Involving your current employees in this process can help you in many ways that a traditional hiring process may not. First, you can get through more candidates faster. You will be empowering your team to evaluate the resumes, candidates, etc and passing on the information that they learn to the HR team. They are more likely to give honest feedback and have a unique perspective as someone who has been in the same position when they were interviewing for their current job. Making it a team effort to hire can help the process be efficient and get you a qualified person to fill the role sooner.
4. Improve Communication
A big frustration point for many job applicants and top level talent is the amount of time the process takes. Being the company that is very responsive throughout the entire process can help you edge out your competitors that may be trying to hire the same person. Whether you design an online portal that updates them where they are at in the process or send them an automated email that they have not been selected, they will appreciate the open line of communication. Giving deadlines to when the interviews will be and when you need a decision can also help the process be more efficient because both parties are aware of the expectations.
5. Market the Job Opening
If you are struggling to attract top talent to the open positions within your business, correctly marketing the job opening could accelerate the process of finding someone new. Targeting where these people are and how to reach them can save you time down the road. Writing a clear job description that is easy to read and making it easy to contact you will stand out for those looking to start a new job. Be sure that you are ready to answer questions about the potential of remote work and how often you would like the new employee to be in the office.
Get Started Today
Even if you don’t have any current job openings, you can revamp your hiring process to make it more efficient today. Creating new processes and brainstorming new ways to do things can benefit your entire team when you are ready to post a new position.