Revamp your recruitment process for better results: A step-by-step guide

Having a recruitment strategy for your business is like being in a race. By the end of it, you will have found the winning candidate. To help you design the 'right' recruitment strategy that caters to your business needs, we have created a step-by-step guide to help you find potential candidates. Take note of these tips and apply them to your own hiring process.

When it comes to recruitment, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Every company has its uniqueness, and that should reflect in the recruitment process. Nevertheless, to find ‘THE ONE,’ start by creating a hiring process that fits your recruitment goals.

Treat your hiring journey with the same importance you give your business. As said by Marc Benioff (Founder, Salesforce): 

“Acquiring the right talent is the most important key to growth. Hiring was - and still is - the most important thing we do.” 

Like every successful thing has a plan or process that drives it to the end goal, hiring new talents is no different. You can filter out the ineligible candidates with a strong strategy and reach closer to the finish line.

Before getting into the details, let's understand the basics.

Recruitment - what it is and how it has changed

Recruitment is a strategic process of assessing vacancies, attracting talents, screening, conducting interviews, shortlisting, hiring, and onboarding suitable candidates. While this may look like a simple task, a lot goes on in the backend. Right from administrating, strategizing to organizing, all these skills are put to the test.

However, in recent times, the recruitment process has changed. Companies have shifted to technology-based tools that automate, cut down and ease the recruitment process. The HR team or leaders can adopt this new approach to make their hiring journey smooth and fast, depending on the company’s size.

According to 68% of recruiters, investing in new recruitment technology is the most effective way to boost hiring performance over the next five years.

Bridge the gap - A well-structured recruitment process

Did you know that up to 25% of new hires leave their companies within the first year? In contrast, 69% of employees would stay with a company for three years if they had a positive onboarding experience.

With these statistics proving what employees want, it’s more than essential for your company to have a solid recruitment strategy. A process will benefit both - the employers and job seekers:

• Quality is not compromised: A well-structured hiring process allows your team to effectively understand, plan, and execute the strategy. When you do things in an organized way, the chances of hiring a potential candidate also increase.
• Decreased time, increased productivity: A powerful applicant tracking system allows the hiring team to do more in less time while still being able to attend to other essential tasks.
• Fewer expenses, more savings: If you don't have an organized recruitment procedure, you're more likely to hire low-quality staff that is expensive to replace. Reduce your turnover rate and save your company money by using a standard, automated and structured application process that weeds out the ineligible candidate, making your work easy.
• A positive candidate experience: 63% of candidates would reject a job offer if they had a bad candidate experience. This demonstrates that the recruitment process defines a company culture to an applicant. A well-structured procedure that offers a positive candidate experience can improve candidates’ impressions of working for your organization.

Checklist to creating a solid recruitment process 

The first impression an employee will make about your company is through the recruitment process.

As said by Steve Jobs, “You need to have a collaborative hiring process.”

So, if you want to attract the best minds into your workplace, keep a check on these factors while creating the recruitment strategy.

• Company size: Keep the size of your company and your future workforce objectives in mind while developing your talent acquisition plan. A strategy that works for a large corporation with thousands of employees may not work for a small business with a few employees, and vice versa. So, if your organization is contemplating changes, it's a smart idea to design a recruitment process that can accommodate those changes in the long run.
• Country: Regulations imposed by governments influence firms' recruitment methods. These rules serve as a guide for businesses as they develop their hiring procedures. Some nations, for example, have regulations that stipulate that before a candidate can be hired, they must fulfill specific requirements (such as age). So, keep a check on these regulations to avoid getting into an expensive mess.
• Business type: Your application process must be able to match the talent requirements of your industry. A manufacturing firm, for example, draws a different sort of talent than a digital company. Design your ideal candidate persona and choose the one that is the closest to that.
• Company image: How do you want job seekers to see your company? While designing the recruiting process, keep in mind the image you want to project to prospects. Suppose you want to be known as an international or diversified company. In that case, your recruiting plan must focus on hiring people of different caste, colors, and races from all over the world.

There are a variety of strategic tactics that can be used to develop a productive recruitment process for your company. We'll show you one of the most effective ways to set up a thorough recruitment procedure in the sections below.

A.S.I.O.H Recruitment process - the blueprint for SMBs

Introducing the A.S.I.O.H. recruitment process:

Step 1: Attract the best, smart and right talent

“The key for us, number one, has always been hiring very smart people.” - Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft Corporation.

The first step in recruitment is to notify job seekers that you are looking for them. At this point in the recruiting process, you'd like to obtain as many applications as possible. 

A detailed job description will do the trick

Getting the right set of talent to apply is as vital as attracting job seekers. Without quality, you will be wasting a lot of your time on ineffective administrative tasks, resulting in wrong candidates or no hires.

To focus on quality over quantity, develop a solid and transparent job description. For high efficacy, keep it comprehensive and straightforward.
Add these must-have points to attract the right talent:

• Job title: This is the first part of your job posting that any applicant will see. So, it is a must to make an impactful first impression, and you can do so by using key phrases that accurately describe the position you want to fill. Keep it short, clear, to the point.
• About the company: Set aside a section to talk about your company's culture, mission, and objectives. Candidates want to discover what makes your organization unique so they can determine whether or not they will fit into your culture.
• Job summary: The job’s purpose or objective must be evident in the job description. Briefly explain the required qualities, the reporting manager, and the working team. Make sure to highlight your selling points.
• Key responsibilities: Make it clear to candidates what responsibilities they will perform if hired. Explain how specific duties fit into the broader goals of the firm.
• Requirements: If any particular educational or technical skills are required for this position, mention them. Also, do not forget to include the professional certifications required (if any) or experience in certain areas.

Creating a detailed job description post from scratch can be time-consuming. That is why we have made awesome job description templates for you. These templates are easily customizable and cater to various jobs such as HR, Marketing, Sales, QA, and Software Engineer.

Leverage connections

Finding talent can be challenging if you only rely on a few sources. To ease the search and fasten your hiring process, leverage your connections. Here are the two sources that can come in handy:

1. Internal recruitment sources - Tap into your inner circle

According to this report, companies with high internal hiring have 41% longer employee tenure than those with low internal hiring.

When a company employs its current staff or people with close ties to it, such as previous workers or referred prospects, it is called internal recruitment. There are four common ways to leverage internal sources:

There are four common ways to leverage your internal sources:

• Promotion: The promotion of an employee, usually based on their performance, involves upgrading them to a higher position with better pay and more responsibilities. Moving up an employee is cheaper, provides a person already familiar with the job, and motivates employees to grow professionally.
• Hiring the “EX’s”: Employees who left the company on good terms are an excellent fit for internal recruitment. It will be easier for them to adapt to the job and flourish because they already know the company culture.
• Refer to hire: A referral program encourages current employees to refer qualified relatives, friends, and past colleagues for open positions. By implementing an attractive employee referral program, employers are sure to get quality candidates, reduce time-to-hire, and lower hiring costs.
• Transfering: A transfer occurs when an employee is laterally moved from one place (i.e., department, branch, or position) to another without a change in responsibility, salary, and status. Companies usually take this step to reduce employee monotony or boredom. Transferring can help increase job satisfaction and increase employee morale if properly applied.

2. External recruitment sources - Go beyond the basics

When companies use third-party platforms to fill vacant positions, it is external recruitment.

This method enables a hiring manager to find prospects, advertise, and create a talent pool for the future. External sources of recruiting are the ideal way to go if you want to reach many candidates.

• Job posting sites: These are websites where employers advertise their vacancies to potential employees. They serve as a bridge between employers and job seekers. Job posting sites may be classified by niche, payment plan, or by region.
• Social media platforms: 73% of millennials found their last position through social media. This makes Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram great places to connect employers and candidates, especially younger talents. Posting videos, creating content, or building attractive company profiles are effective tactics to stand out from the crowd.
• Headhunting companies: Headhunters are organizations that provide recruitment services to businesses. Their job is to find and locate quality candidates based on a company’s specifications. They are a popular go-to solution for many companies seeking to hire management/senior roles.
• Campus recruitment: Campus recruitment allows employers to sell their career opportunities to a large body of students. This approach is especially useful for hiring entry-level employees as it will connect with top-notch university graduates.

Connecting the right candidate - Top 3 tools

Use these tools to stand out of the hay and attract the right talent:

Buffer is a social media management tool that can be used to schedule job posting in various social media platform to attract job seekers

Adobe spark is a social video-making platform that employers can use to create catchy and stunning job post videos to engage job seekers on social media

Erinapp is an employee referral tool that boosts employee participation in referrals with features like mobile referrals, bonus tracking, referral recommendations, and many more

Step 2: Screen and connect dots with the right talents

Attracting a vast talent pool means your applicant screening process will come with many intricacies. These challenges will be in unqualified applicants, false information on resumes, and many more. Having a comprehensive screening process helps solve these problems. Follow these tips to make your screening process easy, fast, and productive.

Dos and don'ts when screening candidate profiles

Here is a simple guideline on the screening process top practices:

These are the most important things to note when screening. Disregarding any of these do’s and don'ts can lead to a biased and ineffective screening process.

Shift the gears to speed up - Top 3 tools for your screening process

Oracle Taleo is a cloud-based ATS that allows recruiters to modify their screening of applicants based on the need of their business

SmartRecruiters is a recruiting software platform that offers talent sourcing and screening functions for recruiters as add-on features.

Jobhopin is a screening tool powered by AI/ML technology, which automates the sourcing process and helps recruitment happen faster, easier, smarter.

Step 3: Interview candidates like a pro

With a small list of eligible candidates after the screening, you move on to the determining step of the recruitment process - Interviews. At this stage, the HR team must evaluate, ask questions, and decide if they are the right fit.

The interview process is usually conducted in-person or online, depending on the circumstances. Here are a few tips you can follow to create a positive and comfortable candidate experience both online and offline.

Face-to-face interviews: Must-haves

Many firms use face-to-face interviews as their primary method of recruiting. This strategy allows you to assess the prospect in person and give them a sense of the company. You should do the following to get the most out of your face-to-face interviews:

• Prepare the interview questions: Are you looking for a culture-fit candidate or an experienced one? In line with your choice, set necessary interview questions and provide the hiring team with a copy before the D-day.
• Keep it fair: Determine how candidates are to be judged beforehand to curb bias. You can use an interview evaluation form to ensure your candidates are objectively scored based on set criteria during the interview.
• Create a good environment: Use a well-ventilated and clean room for your interview. You can also make employees feel rested by offering them a pen, paper, and water.

Online interviews: Must-haves

In the wake of the pandemic, video interviewing is becoming the new face of recruiting. The majority of businesses have switched to online interviews, while some are still in the process. If you are adopting this approach, keep a check on these points:

• Use a video interview tool: For better efficiency, conduct an online interview using video call tools. Using the right video interview tool will provide your candidates with a positive interview experience while allowing you to assess their skills properly.
• Plan ahead: One major challenge with online interviews is scheduling. Counter this by taking note of your candidates' time zone before scheduling. You can also use a scheduling app to help you get the best time and remind both parties of the interview before the day.
• Test your technology: Get familiar with how your internet connection, camera, sound, and every other tech works before the day of the interview. You can decide to test them again a few hours before the interview.

Assessment & Evaluation

Preliminary assessments of candidates can be conducted before or after the interview. Candidates should be assessed based on their skills, knowledge, and abilities displayed, especially during the interview.

Assessment here could be job knowledge tests and skills assessment tests. Other kinds of testing you may conduct for candidates include; integrity tests, cognitive ability tests, personality tests, and emotional intelligence tests.

Listen and act continuously: Top 3 tools to make interviewing easy

A video interview tool offers a unique solution, especially for organizations interested in remote candidates. Tools like Skype, Zoom and Jobvite serve to reduce cost-per-hire, time-for-hire, and provide candidates with a pleasant interview experience.

Google Calendar is an app for scheduling interviews. It has access to a wide range of users, allowing the hiring team to collaborate and schedule interviews with candidates.

Calendly is a scheduling app that allows candidates to check and book the available time slot in your schedule.

Step 4: Offer them what they are worth

After the interview process, find your top 5 candidates and run background checks on them. This is a vital step of your recruitment process because not everything that meets the eye is true.

On completing the background checks, prepare a job offer that discreetly mentions the job salary, benefits, and expectations. 75% of recruiters have had prospects change their minds about them at the offer stage, so don't take it lightly. It is best to discuss the offer on call as it helps understand the candidate’s thoughts.

Remember to emphasize the company's principles, goals, and culture while selling the position. Make it clear that the position is more than a job; it is a career with plenty of room for advancement. However, don't mislead the prospect by discussing the possibilities you can’t provide.

Be their mentor first and then a recruiter.

For example, will they get managerial training? Or will they be allowed to go for educational career courses? Lastly, after the phone call, send a well-crafted offer letter and closely follow up with the candidate.

Step 5: Hire and onboard the “one”

Conducting interviews and presenting an offer is not the end of the recruitment process - onboarding is.

Onboarding is the process of integrating a new hire into your organization. Once a candidate accepts the job offer, the human resource team is responsible for making the new employee feel comfortable and helping them understand the company processes and policies.

58% of new employees will stay longer at an organization if they are properly onboarded. Therefore, take your time to create an onboarding strategy that engages new hires.

Here are five tips on how to build an onboarding experience that would increase your retention rate:

• Start before the first day: To properly onboard your new hires, start before their first day. Using an onboarding checklist as a guide, you can send new employees an email containing the Employee Handbook, introducing the company’s culture and product history.
• Make their day one count: Plan an engaging first day to reduce your new hire's nervousness. You can begin with asking a co-worker to introduce and show the new employee around the workplace.
• Assign a mentor: Help your new hires integrate into your organization faster by assigning a mentor. These mentors will guide the employees to reach their full potential by training and supporting them when needed.
• Promote socializing: Organize an employee orientation event to help employees know more about your company. It will provide them with a chance to meet other colleagues and new hires. Employees may learn about the organization's goal, vision, rewards, and more at an event-style gathering.
• Leverage the use of technology: Manual process of onboarding is prone to human errors and can be an unpleasant experience for everyone. This can be solved by adopting the use of an HRIS to allow companies to run a seamless onboarding process that will positively affect the employee experience.

Formalize and Automate the onboarding process: Top 3 tools

Grove HR is an HRIS platform that allows you to set up customized workflows and track progress with automated reminders. Employees can also self-onboard using the mobile app.

Google Drive is a file storage and synchronization software that enables unlimited storage, collaboration, and data sharing among team members.

Zenefits is an HR software that enables online onboarding with self-onboarding features for employees.

It’s time to analyze, optimize and ACT!

Having achieved your hiring needs, it’s time to evaluate your strategy and understand the spaces that need improvement. Follow these steps:

• Focus on data: When assessing your recruitment process, there are three crucial things to consider: quality, cost, and time. Compare these indicators against the outcomes of previous recruiting processes to see what needs to be improved.
• Identify the pain points: Take note of and list any issues that came up during the recruiting process for both the hiring team and candidates. Inquire about your hiring process from prospects, new hires, and hiring team members.
  Ask questions such as: What can be done to improve the interview process? Or what part of the process is most challenging or easiest for them? Knowing these challenges exist is the first step to proffering solutions for them.
• Implement solutions: After identifying the bottlenecks in your recruitment process, it’s time to implement the changes. Start by assessing if you need more resources like a new tool or there is a need for more frequent communication between the hiring team and candidates? Quickly make these necessary adjustments to optimize your process.

Now that you have identified the problems and solutions, it is time to ACT. Apply these strategies to enhance your recruitment process on both ends.

Winner or failure? Find your recruitment status using these important metrics

To understand what’s working and what’s not working, leverage the data in hand. This is a simple step and can be the most rewarding one if done correctly.

Begin with understanding and analyzing your recruitment key performance indicators (KPI). These metrics will provide insights into the positive and negative points. Here are the essential data elements you need while creating the hiring processes report

Time to hire: This metric helps track the time spent hiring candidates during the recruitment process. It starts with identifying the vacancy and ends at onboarding.

To calculate your time to hire, add up the time it took you to fill each position (for example, a month or a quarter) and divide it by the number of people you employed during that time.

• Cost per hire: How much does it cost you to fill an open position? Measuring the cost per hire can help you know if you are spending too much or little on getting new talents onboard. To calculate your cost per hire, add up all your cost for hire, divide it by the number of hires made during that time frame. That is

• Source of hire: This metric identifies the most effective source you get your talents from. Is it the job boards, social media platforms or internal referral? Knowing this metric will help you accurately target your next job posts.
• Quality of hire: Assessing the quality of hire is essential when determining your recruitment process’s success. This metric provides data on the average employee value to the organization. The best way to calculate your quality of hire is by knowing your human capital ROI. To do this, use the formula:

Get that competitive advantage

The right recruitment strategy will not only ease the hiring process but will also position you at the top of the candidate list. If you are looking for an all-in-one platform to streamline your recruitment process, the search ends here.

From attracting, screening, interviewing to onboarding, Grove HR's end-to-end platform can look after your complete hiring process. Automated, simplified, and integrated is how your recruitment process will look like with Grove HR. Sign up now for free or request a customize demo for your company.