Getting the right candidate is always the goal in hiring, which is a tall order for hiring managers. While it might be challenging, you can find the right individual that aligns with your company’s values if you have a set of hiring process steps.
These steps include identifying, attracting, and choosing qualified candidates to fill specific positions within an organization. The specific hiring process steps and components may vary depending on the company’s policies, as well as the nature of the position being filled. The common elements, however, include:
Defining the Vacancy
Before you start looking for candidates, you need to identify the specific needs and requirements within the organization that necessitate the search for that position. This involves a detailed analysis of the tasks, responsibilities, and functions of that position. Think of it as your guide—your north star—for the entire hiring process. If you don’t understand what you need, you won’t be able to find the perfect fit for the role.
Here are some of the best practices when defining the vacancy:
Conducting a Job Analysis
This involves asking current employees who have had similar roles what their daily tasks and long-term expectations are. It will give you real-world insight into what the role is, including the skills and experiences required to do the job successfully.
Setting the Expectations
This step involves creating a list of non-negotiable skills, experiences, and educational backgrounds that are necessary for the candidate to successfully fulfill the responsibilities of the position. Doing so will help you or the recruiting team eliminate applications that do not meet the basic criteria. It will also streamline the selection process and ensure the quality of the applicants.
Creating a Job Description
After defining the core aspects of the vacancy, you need to translate this understanding into a comprehensive job description. Check out our step-by-step guide on how to write a job description.
Discussing Growth Prospects and Compensation
Additionally, you should also discuss the growth opportunities and compensation package to attract not only the candidates with the right qualifications but those seeking a rewarding career path. These two items are also important to millennials and Gen Zs. Now that these generations make up a great percentage of the workforce, organizations must recognize the significance of aligning job opportunities with the values and aspirations of these generations.
To learn more on how to attract and retain Gen Z and millennials, check out these articles on How to Manage Gen Z and How to Manage Millennials.
Budget Allocation
In a competitive talent landscape, you need to invest if you want quality. Thus, allocating a budget for your recruitment process ensures that it will work smoothly and seamlessly. Take into account how much you’re going to spend on recruitment channels, background checks and screening, onboarding and training, and more. You also need to compare the ROI the position can generate to the recruitment cost of hiring for the position.
Is creating a budget plan difficult for you? You might need a budgeting software that will help you forecast the amount you need and create a budget. Here’s our top pick for the best budgeting software.
Job Posting & Application
Job postings have come a long way from the traditional job ads. With a wide range of digital channels to choose from, evaluate how effective each one of them is. Understanding the limitations of each source enables hiring managers to tailor their approach and maximize the visibility of job postings among potential candidates.
Here are our recommendations for the best job posting sites that have wide reach. Some of these sites have mobile apps, candidate matching, applicant tracking, and other features that can make your candidate search much easier.
Here are other suggestions how to create an effective job posting:
- Leverage Technology: Utilize AI to find the right recruitment platform for your job ad. Machine learning algorithms can help you identify where your potential candidates are more active and present.
- Optimize for Mobile: A large number of job seekers, especially Gen Z and millennials, use their mobile phones to search for a job. Ensure that your application process is mobile-friendly to reduce bounce rates and increase the pool of qualified talents.
- Diversify Application Methods: Consider offering different application methods, such as virtual interviews or video resumes. This can give you a more comprehensive assessment of the candidate’s skills and abilities.
Resume Review & Screening
This initial screening helps hiring managers manage the volume of applications and focus on the individuals who are highly suitable. It eliminates the risk of a skill or company culture mismatch. It also helps you spot any legal compliance issues, like improper background checks, early on. Performing an effective resume review, however, requires practice. Here are a few things to keep in mind when screening applicant resumes:
Interview
Shortlisted candidates could undergo an initial screening to evaluate the candidate’s qualifications, communication skills, and overall fit for the role. After that, the list is further narrowed down and the selected candidates are invited to have another set of interviews.
Before conducting in-person interviews, some companies conduct a preliminary phone or video screening. For one, it’s a cost-effective method to assess a candidate’s communication skills and professional attitude. These types of interviews work for professional service industries like banking, accounting, IT, and more, where the nature of their work requires interpersonal skills and analytical skills.
On the other hand, for industries that are fast-paced and focus on customer service skills, an in-person interview is ideal. The face-to-face interaction allows the interviewer to assess the candidate’s adaptability and cultural fit to the operation.
The types of interviews depend on the interviewing committee, as well as the position that needs to be filled in. We have several articles that discuss different types of interviews and questions in depth. Here are some of them:
- How to Interview Someone for a Job (includes a free checklist)
- 50+ Interview Questions to Ask Candidates
- Common Illegal Interview Questions & How to Avoid Them
Background Check
Background checks serve as a due diligence step for businesses, although the timing varies. In positions where high levels of security are required, companies conduct the background check before extending an interview. The step aims to identify any red flags that could disqualify a candidate from moving to the next level. On the other hand, some companies do this after the job offer or before they onboard the new employee. This costs less because it only involves those who passed all the processes.
No matter which part of the hiring process they fall, exercise caution when conducting background checks because there are certain situations where it is considered illegal. Read our guide on background check policy for more insights on how to ensure your background check process complies with state and local regulations.
Using a background check service saves your business from costly mistakes. Here’s our guide to the best background check companies to help you get started.
Candidate Selection
After concluding the interview round, the hiring team will make a decision using the following procedure or steps:
Evaluation of Candidates
Here, the hiring team evaluates how each candidate fared during the interview. They will look at how the candidate responded and how they demonstrated their skills. During this stage, the hiring team will also look at the overall fit of the candidate with the company culture.
Assessment of Results
The hiring manager gathers all the interviewers’ feedback and determines how well each candidate aligns with the organization’s needs. It also includes a comprehensive review of the candidate’s qualification, experience, and potential success in the role.
Reference Check
The hiring team conducts reference checks to verify whether the information the candidate provided is true. Reference checks may include previous employers and colleagues. When conducting reference checks, be careful of the legal issues surrounding it. Find out what they are in this employment reference guide for small businesses. Furthermore, here are the 15 reference check questions to ask when trying to get some information.
Job Offer
Once the final decision has been made, the selected candidate receives a job offer letter. The offer includes the compensation package (i.e., salary, benefits, etc.) and other important terms of the employment. Need help in crafting a job offer? Here are different job offer templates you can download and use for free.
Onboarding
After the job offer has been signed, the onboarding process begins. The new employee will be asked to submit all the necessary documents and coordinate the start date with the hiring team. They will also be introduced to the policies, procedures, and culture of the company. If you have a hybrid team and need to onboard a remote employee. For a smooth onboarding process, you might want to use an onboarding software. Here are our top picks for the best onboarding program.
Hiring Process Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The duration of the hiring process depends on how complex the role is, your company’s procedures, and the number of candidates. Generally, however, it may take a few weeks from application to job offer.
An effective hiring process can be measured using different key performance indicators (KPI), such as cost-per-hire, time to fill the position, quality of the hire, candidate satisfaction, offer acceptance rate, and more.
Bottom Line
Creating an effective hiring process is essential to the growth and success of an organization. The steps and strategies we provided serve as a guide to help you and your hiring team in identifying, attracting, and selecting the right candidates to fill the specific position. Feel free to use them in crafting your own hiring process.
