Business has evolved so quickly over the last ten years. Sometimes, some aspects get left behind, and the hiring process has been painfully neglected. A long, arduous hiring process leaves you at risk of losing the best candidates and disengaging the ones you manage to get hold of. So, we shared some of our top tips on how to keep your talent engaged throughout the entire journey.
[clickToTweet tweet=”If you can’t hire, you can’t grow. It’s as simple as that.” quote=”If you can’t hire, you can’t grow. It’s as simple as that.”]
Applications are the worst
Do you remember when you had to fill out a ten-page application form and each question was an essay response of 700 words? Yeah, we remember too, so we also remember not even wanting to apply for the job because of terrible application forms. The longer your application process is, the more people will ignore it. This is no longer a case of ‘only the dedicated ones will apply,’ even the dedicated ones don’t want to deal with lengthy forms and convoluted questions. They don’t need to. Cut your application process down to include only the most necessary information. Remember, the point of an application is to get a name and number in your pipeline so that you can call them and screen them appropriately. You don’t need to know their life ambitions or suit size, you just need the very basics at this point in time.
[clickToTweet tweet=” The longer your application process is, the more people will ignore it.” quote=” The longer your application process is, the more people will ignore it.”]
Speed it up
Interviews take time, but calling a candidate back into your office for repeat interviews three, four, or even seven times is unacceptable. Organize your hiring team to ensure that the right people are available on the right days so your candidate isn’t dragging themselves in and out of our office for the next three weeks. Remember, every time you ask a candidate to come in, they probably have to make up excuses for why they can’t attend work, and you can only have so many ‘doctor’s appointments’ in a month.
It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it
Job descriptions matter. They matter SO much and act as a screening process for you. You might be attracting candidates from LinkedIn posts, and while social media should always be utilized, take the time to write a comprehensive job description that attracts for personality fit as well as skill set. If your business is corporate and strict, then a no-nonsense job description with little flowery language is what you need. However, if you’re hiring for a more creative role, shift your job description to reflect that. Work with hiring managers to craft something that sums up what you’re looking for in a person, i.e., their heart and soul, as well as abilities.
Keep the ladder full
You don’t wait until there’s no food in the house before going out shopping, and you shouldn’t do it in business either. Start shopping before you’re even hungry, so that when the time comes to hire, you already have a pipeline of talent you have your eye on. Having initial conversations with candidates will also mean they’re prepared, and it’s not a cold call out of the blue.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Start shopping before you’re hungry, so that when it’s time to hire, you already have talent.” quote=”Start shopping before you’re hungry, so that when it’s time to hire, you already have talent.”]
Your hiring process doesn’t need to be long, over-complicated and require anyone to jump through hoops. Remember, put everything within arm’s reach of desire.