Having the right people in place can define a company’s success, but making that happen is challenging—particularly if you don’t have processes in place. As we prepare to break into the new year, take stock of your talent acquisition strategy and be prepared to shed your older notions about the hiring process. These tips can help you determine if you’re using strategies that work or if it might be time to pivot.
Get to Know Your Departments and Managers Now
Come up with a plan to get to know the departments you serve a bit better—right now; before they need your help hiring anyone. You can do this by scheduling brief 10-minute meetings with department heads or sending out questionnaires. Get an overall description of what team members do, what skills are in demand within the group, and see if you can assess overall levels of job satisfaction. If you can address problems now and keep talent happy, you’ll be able to avoid needlessly replacing great people.
Devise a Recruitment Process
In many HR departments, it’s a never-ending stream of: create a job post, interview, hire, repeat. That’s not effective and it means you’ll be replacing people more often. Your recruitment process should include five actionable steps.
1) Find out what you really need in the candidate. Don’t use stock descriptions or write about what the last person did. Work with the manager to create a list of skills the department is lacking, and then divide up the list into “musts” and “nice-to-haves.”
2) Create a job description that excites candidates and speaks to your ideal person. Consider the skills you need as well as personality traits and motivations.
3) Diversify your talent pool. Don’t advertise in the same places time and time again. Stretch your mind to come up with new places, so you can attract a diverse talent pool. It’s also advantageous to keep a running list of people who want to come to work for you now as well as people who might consider it in the future. You can keep in touch with the latter group and nurture the relationship, which will save on hiring efforts later.
4) Standardize interview questions and conduct several. Even if you think you’ve found the right candidate right away, define a specific amount of time you’ll keep looking or set a number of interviews to conduct. That way, you can be certain you’re selecting the best fit. It’s also a good idea to be transparent with candidates about your process, as it builds trust and helps them define expectations.
5) Be prepared to move quickly. Great talent won’t stay in the job market long, so make sure you’re able to get a top-notch offer to your ideal candidate fast and that they’ll be able to start work promptly.
Evaluate Often and Keep Talent Happy
Employees need regular feedback about how they’re doing, so set up reviews or evaluations that happen more than once a year. It’s also a good idea to get their feedback on how the company is doing and what their overall level of satisfaction is. Adjust policies and benefits as needed to ensure your best people stay put.
Get Hiring Help from the HR Source
Whether you need to diversify your hiring pool, find the best candidates, create a robust recruitment process, or come up with ways to keep your team happy and productive, the HR Source can help. Check our section for employers to tap into services right away or book a free consultation with one of our experts to discuss a custom plan for your needs.
