The art of hiring

The Journal reports 4.3 million workers virtually missing from the job market — businesses are scraping the bottom of the barrel to find professionals in different fields.?

Supply chain disruptions, failure to meet vaccination requirements, and bad labor conditions have impacted dozens of industries. Businesses can take this opportunity to sharpen one of their most important skills — the art of hiring.

Define the exact skills your team needs

Skills mismatch is an issue that gets in the way of both businesses and professionals. There are several types of mismatch:?

• Over/Under training
• Skill obsolescence
• Skill gaps and so on.

Before posting any vacancies, meet with a Team Lead or a department head to determine which skills exactly the team can and will benefit from.?

Well begun is half done indeed.?

Leverage technology as much as possible

Technology gives us the opportunity to speed up the recruitment processes.

What can help teams find a diamond in the rough??

• Pre-recorded video screening interview questions — they will accelerate the process and allow you to host asynchronous interviews.
• Professional skill checking tools — instead of manually going through skill checking tasks, automate the whole process and get more precise and calculated results.
• Online interviews — since COVID, 86% of recruiters started conducting interviews online which, in some cases, allowed to speed up the recruitment process and search for talent globally.?

Implementing technology is one of the surest ways to make the best choice and not waste any time on unnecessary tasks. It allows businesses to accommodate a broader pool of candidates, speed up the process and filter unsuitable candidates faster.

Remember about first impressions

According to a study, 70% of job seekers would turn down a position if they have had a bad first impression about a company or a recruiter. To ensure the HR team forms the best first impression, ask yourself:?

• How does the HR department get along with already-existing teams and professionals??
• Does the department get enough training and development??
• Is the department equipped sufficiently??
• Would you join a company that provides the hiring experience you do?

Additional testing or interview simulations will ensure the HR department stays up to date on the hiring knowledge and is experienced enough to be appealing to applicants and ca ndidates.?

Sell your company to applicants

During the interviews, the applicants ‘sell’ themselves to the company — their hard and soft skills, experience, willingness to be a part of the team, flexibility and adaptability fall under a microscope. Businesses need to know they only hire the best people.?

Similarly, the applicants need to know they are about to join the best place of work that will give them the opportunity to develop and find the team they will thrive in.?

Put effort into making a good first impression: offer your candidate a treat or a beverage, place them in comfortable and relaxing settings if you hold an interview in an office. Don't jump straight to the questions. Have a couple of ice-breaking questions to put a candidate at ease. Give a full picture of what working in the company feels and looks like. Share your latest achievements and plans for the future. Share your own experience in the company and tell what you like. Establishing a human connection makes you more attractive and relatable in the eyes of a candidate

Remember about referrals and internal hires

• 36% of businesses rely on internal hiring and promotions.?
• 32% of professionals use corporate referral programs as a chance to help their place of work.?
• 45% of referred candidates stay with the company for at least 4 years or longer.?

Referral program and internal hiring is a perfect chance to select only the best candidates. Internal hiring helps choose candidates who are already onboarded, suit company policies, know ins & outs of internal processes and corporate culture. This reduces the amount of training they need in the new position and decreases the overall recruiting costs.

Referrals are a good way to not only select well-fitting candidates, but to motivate the team by giving them an opportunity to work with their friends. 57% of professionals say working with their best friends improves their productivity, so leveraging the referral program makes a lot of sense.?

In the times of labor shortage, hiring and retaining professionals is an art. One that can be developed and adapted to each company’s culture and requirements. That is what makes it so difficult and yet so amazing.?