There are a lot of pressures on the shoulders of recruiters.
On one hand, there is the expectation that they will fill roles quickly, and on the other, ensure that the person hired will stay in the role. It is not an easy balance, and rushed hiring can, unfortunately, often lead to poor decisions. It is not a good idea to drag your heels when recruiting, but on the flip side, you need to make sure you get the right candidates. These are some ways to ensure you hire the right person.
Accurate Job Description
The first step in the recruitment process is to ensure you create an accurate job description with all the essential aspects of the role detailed on it. Spend a bit of time on this, so you don’t end up having to make changes to it and to ensure you only attract the right type of candidates. If the job description is not accurate, you can expect to get a stream of candidates that don’t fit the requirements.
Develop a Checklist
It is also a good idea to have a checklist, detailing exactly what you want from your candidate. For instance:
- Do you want sector experience?
- Do they need experience with a specific software package?
- Are you looking for someone that is only interested in a short-term option, or do they need to be viewing it in long term?
When you have your checklist, it can be easier to go through the interview prepared and ensure you don’t make the wrong decision. If you are a direct in-house recruiter, you may want to sit down with the manager and ascertain their exact requirements. If a recruitment agency, make a list of the attributes the client likes and make sure the candidate ticks these off when you pre-screen them. This will help reduce the likelihood of making the wrong hire.
Listen to Candidate’s Needs
In desperation to fill a role, you may neglect to consider the candidate’s needs if they have the perfect skills and experience for the job. For instance, if they only want to work from home, don’t try to force them into an office, as they won’t last long in the role. If the industry isn’t quite right for them, try to find out the reasons, but don’t push them into a job they won’t be happy in. It is vital to ensure that the candidate’s expectations are taken into consideration, as much as you would with your clients or managers.
Relevant Skills and Experience
Of course, it is a given that they should have the necessary skills and experience for the job, otherwise they may not even be able to do it. If the client or manager has specified that they need Advanced Microsoft Excel experience, for instance, and they don’t have this but have every other requirement, it can be easy to gloss over it and hire them anyway. However, with this approach, you are going to end up facing issues, as the candidate won’t be able to meet the expectation of the role. An ATS can be incredibly useful for saving time when hiring candidates while ensuring they fit the criteria. You can filter through specific words and phrases that are essential for the role, making your life easier and reducing the potential of a wrong hire.
Align with Culture
Cultural fit is also worth taking into careful consideration. If the candidate is someone that prefers flexibility and a relaxed workplace, they will probably not last in a controlling, process-driven environment. Similarly, if your brand is centered on sustainability, but you recruit a candidate that has no interest in the environment, the fit just won’t work. Making sure you align the candidate with the culture will help ensure they stay.
Understand the Goals
Whether the goals of the company or the client you are recruiting for, you should understand what these are. If it is an entrepreneurial start-up company that wants to scale the business and progress candidates quickly, it won’t fit with a candidate that wants to do their hours and forget about work. Understand the goals, both from the company and candidate perspective will help you make the right alignment.
Check Background and Credentials
Another way to ensure you don’t hire the wrong candidate is by checking their background and credentials. Make sure you understand the reasons for any short-term roles or gaps in the CV and get references where necessary. Nothing is guaranteed, even if you do check your background and credentials, but with these checks, it will be more likely that you choose the right person.
Your ATS and Finding the Right Hire
As recruiters know, finding the wrong hire is usually down to time constraints. You have managers or clients constantly on your back asking when you will fill the roles, and this can cause rushed hiring decisions. With an ATS you can screen candidates quickly, ensuring you fill your roles with the right candidates.
Ensuring you find the right ATS is paramount and with Rectec Compare, you can find the right tech provider to suit your specific needs in as little as 15 minutes – while mitigating the risk of costly mistakes.
A quick, responsive process is what you need to attract and engage the best talent.
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