Let’s face it…unless your occupation is a professional recruiter, no one really wants to recruit! It’s a grueling process that, quite frankly, will occupy much of your time. Time is precious, and you are going to have to spend some time up front to save time when it comes to recruiting. Whether or not your firm has a team member solely dedicated to recruiting, everyone needs to know the basics. This article will highlight those basic elements of the recruitment process and help make yours more effective and efficient.
The job description is the core of a successful recruitment process. When looking for a new team member, it is important to have an up-to-date job description for the role you are looking to fill. From the receptionist to the CEO, each role within your firm should have a clear and comprehensive job description.
Your firm must have taken the time to define the role in order to know who would be the right applicant to fill it. If the role you are searching for is not included in your firm’s current roster of jobs, it’s time to do a job analysis and create a new job description. After all, the job description will be the main tool used to develop interview questions for your potential candidates. Your job description should include:
Once you’ve defined the role with a job description, and your firm knows what they are looking for, you’ll need to create a job ad. We believe creating the best ad to introduce your open position is key. It’s important, though, to make it unique. Dull job ads don’t attract top talent. Is it catchy? Does it highlight your firm’s culture?
Does it include everything a potential candidate would need to know about your organization, and how they would fit into it? This is your firm’s chance to sell itself. Attractive salaries, bonuses and incentive packages, additional job perks, and programs for training and development should all be included in the ad.
When you post your job ad, don’t just ask applicants to provide their resume. Along with attaching their resume, require some action of your applicants to help narrow your candidate list. Resumes are important, but, remember, they should only be viewed as a snapshot of a candidate’s work life.
In addition to submitting their resume, ask them to include a short paragraph explaining why they would be the best candidate for the role. Consider also having them provide professional references prior to the initial phone, Zoom, or in-person interview. This will allow the hiring manager to narrow their prospective candidates, excluding those who might struggle with paying attention to detail or following basic instructions.
This, perhaps, is THE most time-consuming step of any recruiting process. It’s easy today to apply for anything with the click of a button. If your ad is on point, you might receive hundreds of applicants. That can be quite overwhelming. You can, however, employ some effective filters to remove applicants from the pool.
Top candidates should meet the minimum requirements laid out in the job description. Their salary requirements should be in the range of what your organization is willing to pay. They should have completed the action item asked of them in the job description. Conducting several screening steps is necessary. Once you’ve identified the top-candidates, begin vetting them. Conduct a series of phone, Zoom, and/or in-person interviews to identify candidates who will fit in the role well. Also consider putting in place a reference check to ensure you are making the most informed decision before hiring.
While vetting candidates can be the most time-consuming part of the recruitment process, onboarding your new team member is THE most important. Consider the experience from the new team member’s perspective. Make every effort to make “getting to know” your firm fun, interesting, exciting, and as simple as possible.
Prioritize interpersonal relationships with other key team members. This is the time to make your new team member feel valued right off the bat. Making sure they have all necessary equipment, materials, and training to get their job done will aid in them feeling part of the team. Does your firm have a standard onboarding checklist or procedure? If not, it’s past time to create one! Assuring your new team member is trained and welcomed properly will directly affect their retention. Creating an atmosphere where they can comfortably ask questions and provide feedback is of the utmost importance.
Bottom line: don’t cut corners when it comes to recruiting. Remember: you’re selecting the next person to be a part of your team…the team who lives out your firm’s vision and mission. It’s a big deal! Give it the respect it deserves. Take the time to look at your process and analyze how it works. To be effective and efficient in your recruiting endeavors, you must be willing to spend the time to get it right.
