It’s never a good idea to have a job opening in your company for too long. Certain tasks slip through the cracks, and your business doesn’t as smoothly as it could. Moreover, the rest of your team has to compensate and take on more than their fair share of responsibilities. Over time, they’ll burnout or even quit. Here are some tips to shorten your hiring process.
Forget the perfect candidate
Sorry to be the one to break it tow you, but the perfect candidate rarely exists. Instead focus on hiring someone real—know which skills and experiences are absolute must-haves and which you can reasonably forgive. Pay attention to the candidate’s attitude and work ethic. You might find that you value passion and a culture fit over paper qualifications.
Write a clear job description 
Clear and concise, that’s the name of the game! Too vague and you’ll get too many applicants, many of whom aren’t good fits. Too picky or ambitious won’t get enough and plenty of qualified applicants won’t bother to apply. Since your other employees will work directly with the new hire, ask them for help crafting the perfect job description. Use bullet points to outline the required experience and skills and list the primary duties the candidate will be responsible for.
Allow candidates to express their interest
First, think like a jobseeker. If they’re interested in your company, make the next step obvious to them. It should be easy to access the career page on your company’s website and search jobs—both on a cell phone and PC. Many people search for jobs on their phones, especially if they don’t want their current employer to know.
Your application process should be easy to navigate and fairly transparent. And if there are currently no job openings at your company, provide a portal through which interested jobseekers can send their resumes anyway. It’s helpful to keep a pool of interested candidates for when something opens up unexpectedly.
Shorten your application process
You might think that a lengthy application can help you gather more information and give you better data. It’s a good thought, but most jobseekers are in a hurry and they don’t want to spend more than five minutes on an application. A face-to-face interview is more telling anyway. Communicate as frequently as you can with your applicants so they don’t get frustrated or disinterested. Keep everyone in the loop—they’ll be impressed with your competency and satisfied with regular updates.
Meet candidates where they are
There are lots of qualified and talented candidates roaming the world who aren’t actively job-seeking. Some might be still in school and others might be already employed, just casually browsing job boards. So check out career fairs and other on-campus recruiting events. Be on the lookout at industry-wide conferences and workshops. Post on social media so you make those casual jobseekers aware of your employment brand. Your company should seem like a really desirable and exciting place to work and those job applications will come pouring in!
For more tips to streamline your hiring process, check out our website at https://www.chiefofstaffkc.com.
Blog written by Erin Greenhalgh