Are You Wasting Time? Recruitment Time-Savers

Used - Blog - August 10 - Circle

If you’re like most employers, growing your team isn’t always the smoothest process. You’re working under time constraints, running shorthanded, and are rushing to find that perfect person, preferably by tomorrow.

But hurrying the hiring process is never a good idea. Taking shortcuts and making snap decisions might seem like the fastest way to make a hire, but in actuality only exponentially increases the chances of making a costly mis-hire.

“Making snap decisions might seem efficient, but in actuality only increases your chance of a mis-hire exponentially.”

So get it right the first time! Here are 6 Tips and Tricks from the pros to save you time (and $) when you’re recruiting:

1. Know Who You Want: If you don’t know who you want working for you before you start recruiting, chances are good that you’ll waste a lot of time, and you’re less likely to end up with that perfect hire. Define your ideal candidate by nailing down the skills needed, the background and experience you want, and the attitude and personality you’re looking for.

2. Write It Down: Hiring often happens under pressure, and it can be tempting to take shortcuts. One thing that often gets neglected is tracking and taking notes. You may think you’ll remember details about a candidate two weeks from now, but after you’ve looked at a hundred resumes and talked to a dozen or so, they all start to blur together. Trust us—you’ll appreciate having notes to jog your memory!

3. Add a Step: Know you’ll get more applications than you have time to screen? For positions requiring detail orientation (which, let’s be honest, is most jobs), add an extra step to the application process and use the candidate’s ability to follow instructions as a screening tool. If you get hundreds of applicants, an application form or specific formatting instructions can help weed out applicants who aren’t serious, or those who don’t notice the little things.

4. Pick Up The Phone: Before you commit to a lengthy in-person interview with the wrong candidate, pick up the phone and ask a few questions. It doesn’t need to be a long conversation. Target questions around your must-have qualities to determine if a candidate has the basic requirements to thrive in the job.

5. Check References: We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again—taking the time to check references properly is a no-brainer! After all, if a candidate can’t find someone to say something nice about them, when they’re the one picking who to present as a reference, it’s a problem. Need a refresher? Here’s how to get the most out of reference checks.

6. Keep It Clean: When you’ve hired the rock star, and the position is closed, take the time to tidy up your files and update your tracking system, and make final notes on your top candidates, as well as those who didn’t make the grade. Your future self will thank you next time you go to hire!

Your Engaged Assignment: Next time you go to recruit, do yourself a favour and resist shortcuts. Print out our list and refer to it to keep the process running smoothly and maximize your chances of making the right hire the first time.

Of course, the ultimate way to save yourself time during the recruitment process is to outsource your efforts. So if it all seems a bit daunting or you’re in a time crunch, let us make the process as painless as possible!