It seems like everyone is trying to hire, while so many others are offering their analysis of what happened to all the applicants. The flip side is that for a variety of reasons, many people are switching jobs and even professions. The good news is applicants are out there! We’re here with practical hiring help ideas that really do work! There are three important questions to ask yourself, followed by three very concrete things you can do to help hiring go faster!
3 Tips to Help Hiring Go Faster
1. Do they even know the opportunity exists?
Nobody can apply for job posting they never see. It sounds logical, but if you’re not reaching 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, um…. It’s going to take some leg work and research to find the best places to list your job, AND it likely isn’t going to mean posting it only once without revisions. In fact, plan to revise the title and description every couple weeks. Remember, it isn’t about you, it’s not about where you’d like people to find your job post, and it’s not about how you’ve always done it.
2. What have you done to convince them to apply, and why would they?
I hope you didn’t answer, “because he/she wants a job”. You have a ton of competition, and they 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 some time writing a description that encapsulates and completely explains the position, and then take a serious look at how your company as a whole appeals to candidates. This is where your marketing really comes into play; adequately conveying what you stand for, what kind of culture they can look forward to, and if they can see themselves fitting in happily and seamlessly. *Hint: Candidates check your Google reviews and scour your website, just like prospective customers, so make sure it is all stellar! Remember, it isn’t about reusing a tired, old job description, and it’s not about handing it off as someone else’s responsibility. HR can’t hire alone in today’s climate. It takes your whole team to help, especially your marketing team.
3. Are there parts of your process that suck are scaring away your applicants?
If you’re like most businesses, you’re probably not aware of 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 It’s more than a slow or outdated website.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 #2 above, there are a multitude of things that quite frankly, candidates won’t put up with (because they don’t have to). There are plenty of other places to apply with a process that doesn’t force them to hit the back button, stop in for a paper application, or submit sensitive, personal information via an insecure process. Candidates are savvy and expect to apply quickly and easily from anywhere, at anytime of day or night, using the device of their choice. Please do what it takes to streamline your process and bring it up to today’s standards, and you’ll notice a difference in quantity and quality of applicants.
