According to Indeed, a massive 61 percent of employers are expecting to hire more people in 2018 than they did in 2017. But expecting to do so and successfully executing on that plan are two different things. In our experience, whether it’s because of infrequent hiring or outdated procedures, few companies have a robust hiring process – and even if they do, it is rarely updated to align with current market demands. Thus, those 61 percent of employers may not end up onboarding the people they need.
If you’re not regularly assessing the strength of your hiring process, 2018 is the year to start. Here are five key areas you should consider.
Are You Losing Candidates in the Application Process?
A recent Careerbuilder report reveals that 52 percent of jobseekers say their biggest frustration is the lack of response from employers during the job search. What typically happens is that these candidates apply to positions only to get buried in an inbox of resumes or the labyrinth of a complex ATS. Considering that 78 percent of these same jobseekers believe the candidate experience reflects how a company values its employees, the fact that so many candidates receive no feedback is a huge red flag.
However, 82 percent of hiring managers consider the candidate experience extremely important. So employers and jobseekers appear to be on the same page! Where’s the disconnect? The data says it’s in how an organization perceives its own candidate experience; only 1 in 3 hiring managers have personally gone through the application and hiring process to assess the experience. Here, then, is a great place to start. Put your hiring process to the test to personally assess any gaps that may exist.
Are You Selling Your Company?
Today’s top talent want more than “just a job.” They want an opportunity to grow in their career at a place they’re excited to wake up for each morning. Because of this trend, it’s entirely possible that your hiring process is too candidate-centric, with little room for selling the perks and benefits of working for your company.
Jobseekers are assessing your company from the moment they read your advertised job description. From there, they are interacting with your website, receiving automated emails from your ATS, checking out your social media accounts, talking to your people on the phone, and eventually meeting with them face-to-face. Every interaction is an opportunity to sell them on why they would want to work for your company. Does your hiring process leverage those opportunities? Or is it too narrowly focused on screening out unqualified candidates? If it’s the latter, chances are you’ll end up unintentionally screening out the qualified ones, too.
Are You Using the Same Old Interview Techniques?
Every candidate is going to be prepared for the same old interview questions. A quick Google search will give them tips and tricks for answering them in the most articulate, qualified manner. So how much can those questions really reveal about a candidate?
Companies need to get creative in their interview processes. Creating questions that better align with the job requirements, company culture, and business objectives will be much more helpful. Finding new ways of understanding what makes a candidate tick, how they learn and think, and what they’re passionate about will serve you better in the long run than falling back on the same old interview questions.
Additionally, conducting the interview across the conference table is going to limit how much you can really learn about someone. Instead, give them a tour around the office to see how they interact with the rest of your staff. Get your team involved to ask them questions. Take them out to lunch or dinner and continue the interview in that setting. These are just a few ways to help discover a candidate’s true personality and motivations.
Are You Hiring Worn Out Profiles?
When you’re hiring talent for the same position you’ve hired in the past, the easiest tactic is to grab the job description you last used and immediately start advertising. Even if you’re writing up a new job ad, it’s likely you have the same profile of candidate in mind. You’re probably looking for similar experiences, career path and education as your existing team, but how recently have you assessed that profile? Does that age-old job description align with how your company has progressed over the years?
It’s worth taking the time to reevaluate how your ideal candidate profile aligns with your current company culture, business objectives, and evolved job requirements. Additionally, be aware that some diversity in career path or previous experience can bring different perspectives into your team, opening the door to greater innovation and problem solving.
Have You Lost the Human Element?
Finally, one of the biggest mistakes companies make when they implement hiring technologies like an ATS is that they lose the human element that defines the quality of the hiring process. ATS platforms are highly valuable for streamlining the process and storing thousands of searchable records, but it’s easy to focus too much attention on metrics, keyword searches, and automation.
If you’re looking for an emotionally intelligent candidate, someone with quality soft skills who will fit into your company culture as well match the technical skills you need, then you need an emotionally intelligent hiring process. Although speed and efficiency are huge drivers of a successful process, nurturing the human element is a non-negotiable part of the equation. That means your recruiters need to build genuine relationships with the candidates you’re screening. Those relationships will help you learn more about the candidate in question, uncovering the intangible, unmeasurable qualities of their personality, skills, and experience that an ATS will always miss.
Is Your Hiring Process Actually Working?
The strength of your hiring process depends upon more than just the latest recruiting tools and technologies. Attracting top talent – and keeping them interested throughout the process – requires a creative approach and an intimate understanding of current market trends. If your hiring process hasn’t evolved or been assessed in years, it’s probably time to discover what you might be missing.
At Brightwing, our commitment to the human element in hiring shines in every interaction. We can’t wait to learn more about your hiring needs. Let’s chat today.
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