It takes recruiters between 33 and 49 days to fill most job positions. But what if you need a new employee fast?
From drafting job descriptions to conducting interviews, there’s a lot that goes into the HR recruitment process. It can take a long time, especially if you’re struggling to find high-quality candidates.
If you’re ready to speed up the recruitment process, read on for seven essential recruitment tips to match you with your ideal employees.
1. Hire From Within
Employee recruitment doesn’t always have to involve locating fresh talent in the wild. You can search right in your own company for top-notch employees.
Hiring from within is a great way to recognize great work and promote an employee that deserves it.
Not only that, but part of the recruitment process will already be done. For example, you won’t have to worry about performing background checks or contacting references. This can save your HR team both time and valuable resources.
2. Post on the Right Job Boards
You want as many people as possible to hear about your job opening, right? Wrong!
Many HR professionals deal with a high volume of applications, most of which may be from unqualified candidates. It can take days or even weeks to sort through the potential candidates, trying to filter out the good from the bad.
But by posting only on carefully selected job boards, you can reach the right candidates and skip over the rest.
When possible, choose niche job boards that only those who are already established in your company’s field use. If you’re looking for new talent, reach out to a professor or administrator from a college department that aligns with the job opening.
3. Incentivize Employee Referrals
Just like in the case of hiring from within, your current employees can be the key to finding the perfect employee for a position. That’s also true when asking for referrals from employees.
Current employees are already familiar with your company’s culture and standards. So they may have an idea of the kind of candidate you’re looking for.
Plus, they may have friends in their circle who have a similar career or educational background. This can be invaluable when trying to fill a tough position.
Offer incentives to employees who refer talent to your HR team. In many cases, this comes in the form of a bonus added to an employee’s paycheck.
4. Advertise the Benefits That Count
As an HR recruiter, you’re hyper-focused on what each applicant offers and how they can benefit your company. But don’t forget to consider the benefits that your company can offer to applicants too.
Job hunters are often looking for job conditions and benefits that stand out from the pack. They want fair pay, opportunities for growth and promotion, and benefits like health insurance and paid time off.
Make sure to clearly advertise these benefits in your job postings. Remember, a hiring decision must be mutually beneficial for both the employer and the employee.
5. Expand Your HR Team
One useful way to recruit quickly and efficiently is to expand your HR team. And no, that doesn’t mean you need to hire someone new, necessarily.
Instead, consider outsourcing or partnering with PEO services. When you outsource HR duties, you can streamline the recruiting process and get more done in less time. This can be especially helpful during a big hiring season.
Then, when you no longer need help in your team, you can part ways with outsourced HR agents until needed again.
Read more about the differences between PEO services vs HR outsourcing to decide what kind of HR services to choose.
6. Keep Application Forms Flexible and Functional
The perfect candidate may have seen your job posting, but they might’ve clicked away before ever applying.
This often happens due to complicated or poorly designed job application forms.
Application forms should be inviting. They should be professional, yet easy enough to complete. After all, many great candidates already have jam-packed lives and don’t have the time or energy for difficult applications.
Application forms should be simple and intuitive, sticking to the basics like the candidate’s name and previous work experience. Questions should be easy to understand and answer quickly.
It’s also best to keep online application forms short, taking up no more than around three pages.
For candidates that are compelled to go the extra mile, make the form flexible, offering some optional sections to add a cover letter or other documents and information.
Finally, make sure that your application form functions perfectly on mobile devices, not only desktop computers.
7. Use Assessments
You’ve looked over the pile of applications and found some strong candidates. Now what?
Before spending time interviewing each candidate, send them an assessment to complete. Depending on the needs of the role, this could be anything from a personality assessment to a work task test.
When possible, offer a small payment for the completion of these assessments, especially when they involve a work assignment. Also, keep test assignments small and realistic for the candidate to complete in just a couple of hours.
Providing these assessments and tests in the recruitment process can help you confidently narrow down your options before setting up interviews or writing up job offers.
Follow These HR Recruitment Tips
Don’t waste time or resources on the wrong candidates. Hire the best employees with the seven HR recruitment tips discussed above.
For more business and work advice, check out our other articles!
