Tips To Hire the Right Talent Faster and Safer

1. CHARACTER COMMITMENT COMPETENCE Tips To Hire the Right Talent Faster and Safer

2. Speed is the new normal. We work in a world that churns data at the rate of 4.4 zettabytes a year (predicted to be 44 zettabytes a year by 2020). We communicate with each other in minutes; waiting more than 12 hours is now a faux-pas in answering business emails. Nearly a third of us respond to emails at work within 15 minutes. Texts, in seconds and Talent, is no different In terms of hiring, speed is key to landing the best. We may not be able to make a decision in a chair turn, but we can certainly out red-button the competition. It starts with recruiting: teams need to function fast, stay hungry, keep it urgent. But it’s up to recruiting leaders to make sure they have the tools they need to do so. One of the biggest challenges a recruiter will face is having to hire a lot of people in a short amount of time. Almost invariably, it’s a good sign for the company, because it means it’s growing exponentially. But, it’s also a critical time for the company, as hiring that many people can drastically affect the culture and overall talent level. Ask any hiring manager when they want a role filled and they’ll likely say yesterday—it can be tough to find good talent. We can point to the talent shortage or the time-consuming process for interviewing and hiring, but the reality is it’s the marriage of a number of components that makes hiring employees so challenging and slow.

3. Structure Your Interviewing Process Science has found structured interviews, with a structured way to assess a candidate, are better for screening candidates than non-structured interviews. That’s good, because structuring both processes are essential when hiring a lot of people, quickly. For example, for the first round of interviews, have your recruiters all ask the same eight questions to each candidate on a phone interview, with clear instructions on what to look for. From there, you bring the best candidates in for a couple of interviews, where again you have a set of questions you and your team ask them. A structured process will save a lot of time. But it also makes for a much more objective, reliable interviewing process, as opposed to everybody interviewing and assessing in their own way. Also, if you see any problems emerge as you are hiring, it makes it easier to quickly adapt, since everyone is using the same playbook.

4. Cut Down On The Number Of Interview Rounds If it is taking a while for you to recruit the right talent, it might be time for you to evaluate your interview process. There are several organizations that are guilty of this mistake as they have too many interview rounds that qualified candidates have to complete. Do you have an interview process that requires multiple telephonic interviews followed by two to three personal round interviews with nearly every member of your team? If this is the case, then you might be missing out on great talent to your competitors. The best way to resolve this situation is by cutting down the number of interview rounds to two to three that comprises of one telephonic interview followed by two in-person interview rounds. Create Clear And Concise Job Descriptions Your job descriptions should translate your expectations to the right candidate. Map the responsibilities for the designation followed by the skills and qualifications required to qualify for the further interview process. Keeping job descriptions written down and handy will make it easier for you to screen the right resumes and discard the ones that do not fit your hiring criteria. This way you will be spending your valuable time speaking with only the very top candidates.

5. Ask For Employee Referrals One way to attract a wider range of the applicant pool is by asking your existing employees to recommend people they know for open positions. You can offer an incentive to the employees once a candidate is successfully hired and works in your organization for a specific period of time. You can even use job boards like CareerBuilder to attract the right talent. Select a background screening vendor providing high-quality reports at a minimal turnaround time No matter who you hire, it is important to trust that person. When you select a candidate for an open position it is important to regularly follow the practice of conducting background checks of the candidates before you extend an offer of employment to them. Extend the offer of employment only after the successful completion of the background checks. Always remember, background checks can help you unearth a lot about the individual in question. It can be their criminal history, educational history or even employment history and much more. Always hire a background screening vendor that is FCRA complaint and is familiar with the state and federal laws pertaining to the background check in your country. Also, check their turnaround time when it comes to delivering the completed background check reports. Select a background screening vendor that can provide you high-quality reports in the least possible time.

6. Ask For References Up Front A great way to find out whether the candidate is being truthful about their professional experiences is by checking references. Through this process, it is possible to find the right information pertaining to the candidate in question that can give you confidence while hiring them for the open position. You can save your time by conducting the reference check on all the top candidates rather than wait for the last two to three shortlisted candidates. Checking the references of top candidates between the telephonic round of interview and a personal round of interview can cut down the time of the hiring process and make you hire the right talent at the speed of light.

7. Conduct a skills test A great way to speed up the hiring process is by asking the candidate to complete a skills test. This is especially a great tactic to use when you find that the candidate has the hard skills to do the job. For example; For a project management job, describe a common scenario to the candidate and ask them to prepare a draft on organizing the project and implement different tasks to meet budget and deadlines. If you are hiring a content manager, give them a timed writing assignment on a particular topic. For a graphic design position, you can ask the candidate to put together a quick layout with images and content you provide. The ultimate goal of the exercise is to test the skill sets of the candidate in the minimal possible time. This test can be conducted after initial telephonic round of the interview as a means to weed out candidates who do not meet your criteria for the open position thus, only asking those candidates to come for a personal round of interviews which are fit for the designation. In the end, it has got to be said that there are various benefits of speeding up the hiring process, but, only if it is done strategically, without rushing.

8. Why Partner With cFIRST? cFIRST Think Tank is the team that researches and produces content for cFirst. This team comprises of seasoned content and digital design professionals and background screening industry veterans. Together we produce insightful blogs, infographics and reports meant for HR and background screening professionals.