Hiring can go faster when qualified candidates can find your job, understand why they should work for you, and apply without unnecessary frustration. If you’re struggling to fill open positions, the problem often isn’t a lack of applicants. It’s that your hiring process is creating barriers before the right people ever apply. Start by asking yourself these three questions.
3 Tips to Help Hiring Go Faster
1. Do Qualified Candidates Even Know Your Job Opportunity Exists?
Nobody can apply for a job posting they never see. It sounds logical, but if you’re not reaching the places where quality candidates look for jobs in your industry, they won’t even know the opportunity exists. If you’re still throwing a hiring ad in the newspaper and calling it good, well… it’s going to take some legwork and research to find the best places to list your job.
It also isn’t likely to mean posting it once and forgetting about it. In fact, plan to revise the job title and description every couple of weeks to keep it fresh and relevant. Remember, it isn’t about you. It isn’t about where you’d like people to find your job posting, and it isn’t about how you’ve always done it.
2. Why Should Someone Apply to Work for You?
I hope your answer isn’t, “Because they want a job.” You have a ton of competition, and job seekers have a plethora of choices. Your job is to market the heck out of your company and the position. Provide details like never before. Spend time writing a description that truly explains the position, then take a serious look at how your company appeals to candidates as a whole. This is where your marketing really comes into play. Clearly communicate what your company stands for, what kind of culture employees can expect, and whether candidates can see themselves fitting in and thriving on your team.
A strong workplace culture doesn’t just help you keep great employees. It also helps attract them in the first place. The strongest hiring cultures aren’t built after a position opens. They’re built long before you need to hire. For more on creating a workplace that naturally attracts the right people, read Build Your Company Culture to Attract the Right Candidates Before a Role Opens, written by Beth Gasser and published in BPN Magazine.
Hint: Candidates check your Google reviews and scour your website just like prospective customers do, so make sure both make a great first impression.
Remember, it isn’t about reusing a tired old job description, and it isn’t about handing hiring off as someone else’s responsibility. Hiring isn’t just HR’s responsibility anymore. It takes your entire team, especially your marketing team, to show candidates why your company is a great place to work.
3. Is Your Hiring Process Driving Applicants Away?
If you’re like most businesses, you’re probably not aware of the issues that turn off today’s applicants. It’s more than a slow or outdated website. While those are big issues that should have been addressed in the previous step, there are a multitude of things that, quite frankly, candidates won’t put up with anymore because they don’t have to.
There are plenty of other places to apply that don’t force them to:
- Hit the back button because an online application doesn’t work
- Stop in for a paper application
- Submit sensitive personal information through an insecure process
- Jump through unnecessary hoops before they can even express interest
Today’s candidates are savvy. They expect to apply quickly and easily from anywhere, at any time of day, using the device of their choice. Do what it takes to streamline your hiring process and bring it up to today’s standards, and you’ll notice a difference in both the quantity and quality of applicants.
Qualified Applicants Haven’t Disappeared
Hiring may be more competitive than ever, but that doesn’t mean qualified applicants have disappeared. More often than not, the difference comes down to how well you’re marketing the opportunity, communicating your company culture, and removing barriers from the application process.
Answer these three questions honestly, make the necessary improvements, and you’ll be in a much better position to attract the people you’re looking for. After all, the best candidates have choices. Make it easy for them to choose you.
