10 Ways To Create A Smoother Hiring Process For Your Company

What is one thing that companies can do to make hiring better?

To help small businesses improve their hiring practices, we asked human resource specialists and business leaders for their best advice. From offering work policies that attract diverse candidates to creating hiring teams made up of current employees, there are several innovative strategies that may improve your organization’s hiring process.

Here are ten helpful ideas to make your company’s hiring better:

Hire an executive search firm and staffing agency! Search firms specialize in matching top candidates with your open positions. Search firms use time and resources that most internal recruiting managers don’t have to find culturally aligned talent. They are professionals! Using a search firm and staffing agency will ensure that you invest in the right candidate that is the best fit for your company.

-Ryan Nouis, TruPath

At Arrow Lift, our motto, “Elevating Excellence,” serves as a constant reminder of our commitment to our community, which extends to our hiring practices. We do this by seeking potential employees who believe in our company’s shared mission and providing competitive pay. It ensures that our team will thrive in an environment that they find rewarding for the long run.

-Caleb Rocke, Arrow Lift

Hiring a diverse team is not only top of mind for companies; it’s also a factor that job seekers look for in their prospective employers. From our inclusive core values to our social media campaign that highlights our unlimited vacation policy, to the ability to work remotely, Markitors advertises progressive practices that celebrate a healthy work-life balance. These offerings are naturally appealing to a diverse set of candidates.

-Jenn Christie, Markitors

A majority of hiring managers would agree that one of the most effective hiring sources is the employee referral program. By creating a good company culture and keeping your employees satisfied, you acquire valuable ambassadors for your company. Your current employees most likely have a pretty good idea of what type of individuals would be the right fit for the job and can refer colleagues from their professional circles. On top of that, employees hired through recommendations usually turn out to be a better cultural fit and perform better than those that were sourced elsewhere. A bonus for an employee for bringing in a high-quality player into the company might be the best incentive here.

-Magda Klimkiewicz, Zety

Treat your candidates like you are treating your prospective customers. Many talent acquisition leaders within the organization put communicating with candidates on the backburner. But they forget that once the candidates leave the interview room, they are prospective customers or a connection to your prospective customer that has an opinion about your organization. So flip the switch and ask yourself, “Is this how we would treat a potential customer?” You’ll be surprised at the gap between how you treat candidates versus potential customers. This will dramatically improve your hiring experience.

-Clair Kim, Allenials at Work

Choosing straightforward and transparent job titles is certainly one way to make hiring practices more seamless. Being clear about the roles your company is hiring for and avoiding vague words and clickbait titles help prospects better understand the responsibilities and duties required of them so that all parties can make informed hiring decisions.

-Andrew Bernstein, Kinder Beauty

Prioritizing communication is one thing that companies can do to build their talent pipeline and improve hiring practices. If you keep in contact with applicants throughout the entire application process, they will be more interested in working for your company. Following up with others is a great way for you to check on the quality and quantity of candidates to help you fine-tune your search and fill roles effectively. Leaving prospects hanging will turn them off and look towards another organization. Therefore, you need to ensure you are always responding to all communication.

-Jeff Henretig, Apothecanna

Hiring talent is a critical aspect of being a business leader, and it goes deeper than simply reviewing resumes and conducting interviews. One thing that companies can do to make hiring better is: involve more people in the hiring process. Inviting a colleague or two to an interview with a candidate and allowing those colleagues to ask some questions could be very beneficial as it’s important to consider how the team perceives the personality that might potentially join them.

-Jordan Nathan, Caraway

Engaging your employees while building culture will lead to a company that is unified, synergistic, and has a positive atmosphere. The easiest way to engage your employees while creating a culture is to send out a survey to every employee asking them about what they value in the workplace. Incorporate the responses you receive into your company’s values and tell your existing employees & new hires about these values. This makes it easier to determine how comfortable an employee feels to open up around the workplace. When you build more solid relationships, improve communication, and ask for help, the entire office will benefit.

-Nina Jensen, 8×8

In an attempt to streamline, companies are relying too heavily on keyword searches and programs that screen resumes. This is a huge mistake, and I can guarantee these companies are missing out on the best, top talent, especially when they entrust this process to their lowest level HR personnel who do not understand the scope and complexity of the roles being hired. Companies need to put the human back in human resources by relying less on software programs and web-based features and contract professional recruiters who will take the time to screen and interview candidates.

-Lorraine Bossé-Smith, Concept One LLC

This post was written by Brett Farmiloe and originated on SCORE.