Managing the recruitment process

Recruiting with or without the assistance of a recruiter can be a full time job in itself, it becomes all-consuming and overwhelming. The process of hiring and how it’s managed plays a really important part in the success of getting the hire right. Your process and the actions you take are a direct reflection of you and your business and will leave an impression on the candidate or recruiter as to what you are like to work with.

The recruitment process is also a marketing exercise. The candidates that missed out, will go back to their family and friends and talk about that process and how it made them feel, along with their overall impression of your business. Those family and friends may be your future customers or employees, so manage the process seamlessly with my below tips.

Does the job description stack up?
Yes you need one, and yes it needs to be reflective of the job and tasks that the employee will be doing from day one. Have it cross checked with someone doing that role or a similar role to ensure nothing is overlooked or misrepresented.

Limited draw out gaps between interviews
A lengthy interview processes, waiting a few weeks to accommodate your holiday plans or a sales campaign simply isn’t fair. Set aside 2 – 3 weeks for the interview process and make the wait time between interviews no more then 2 – 5 days.

Constructive and honest feedback
If someone isn’t a right fit be honest, explain why to the recruiter so they can take that on board for sourcing future candidates and so they can help the unsuccessful candidates sharpen their interview technique or re-align them with a job or company that their skills are more closely suited to. Make sure this feedback is delivered the day of the interview or the very next morning.

Meet the market
Don’t be a penny pincher when it comes to salary, you need to look at what the market is paying for the role you are hiring and be prepared to meet that. You also need to look at what else is on offer besides salary like work from home flexibility, incentives, training, career progression or even team building activities. All of this has a huge impact on the candidate’s decision to apply for and accept the job opportunity.

Flexibility
Not everyone can sneak out for an interview, and there are only so many “sick days” or “Doctors appointments” someone can have to accommodate an interview. Be willing to meet people outside of the 9 – 5pm or be flexible to meet them on a Saturday or at a cafe closer to their office. The fact the candidate isn’t just skipping out of the office freely to attend interviews is a sign of their integrity and should be a quality looked upon favorably.

Managing the recruitment process