4 WAYS TO HELP SPEED UP THE HIRING PROCESS

We recently published “5 Steps for More Effective Hiring This Year,” a blog post which presents a more comprehensive, big-picture approach to hiring.

However, the hiring process is the most integral key to a company’s ability to bring on the best candidates available and turn them into highly productive employees.  Unfortunately, some companies’ process is neither efficient nor streamlined, resulting in lost opportunities.

In addition, there are only so many A-level candidates in the marketplace at any one time.  That’s why you must find them, recruit them, and hire them as quickly as you can.  How can you do that?

You can accomplish it with a more efficient and more effective hiring process, and with that in mind, below are four ways to help speed up that process.

#1—Review the job description and make appropriate changes.
The person who held the job previously might very well have changed the parameters of what the position entails.  Perhaps they took on more responsibilities, dropped some, or shared some with others.  The only way to find out for sure is to review the description and then compare notes with everybody in the company who is expected to interact with this individual.  You definitely want to ensure that everybody is on the same page and in agreement regarding what this new hire is expected to do on a daily basis.
#2—Focus more on results instead of tenure or experience.
How long a person has worked at an employer or within the industry is not as important as what they’ve accomplished during that time.  Ultimately, an employee’s value is defined by what they accomplish, and by focusing on candidates who have an impressive (and verified) history of achievement, you can eliminate those who don’t from the process and streamline it further.
#3—Utilize phone interviews strategically.
If you’re already doing this, then kudos.  If not, implement the practice immediately.  Interviewing unqualified candidates on-site is a waste of your time and resources.  Speaking of which, be sure to schedule the interviews in a way that will not disrupt work schedules or impact productivity in a negative fashion.
#4—Combine steps of the process.
Don’t combine steps just for the stake of combining them, but if the opportunity exists and it makes sense, then do so.  For example, emphasize the online application process to job seekers or if there is testing to be done, administer it in a way that coincides with other steps.  Eliminate redundancy whenever you can.

Once you lose time during the hiring process, it is difficult to make it up, so be proactive about making sure you don’t lose it in the first place.  The four ways listed above represent a great place to start, so take the appropriate steps and make this a great year for hiring!