Stop wasting time: Six ways to transform the hiring process from burdensome to beneficial for you AND your job candidates

Since COVID-19 drastically upended the economy back in March, so many things have changed in our lives. If the past is any guide, that situation is going to shift the balance of power from job candidates to hiring managers. Employers will be able to take a lot more time to choose between many qualified candidates who are desperate to land a new job. That’s a good situation in some ways for hiring managers, but it also raises another possibility that’s not so positive for anyone.

So, what is that possibility? It’s wasting your time and the time of your candidates instead of being clear, efficient and decisive in your hiring process. Starting out from college and throughout my professional career I’ve been a candidate for many jobs. Too often, I’ve seen practices that just make no sense and that frankly I think are disrespectful to job candidates. Once I became a hiring manager, I realized the role I could play in stopping bad practices and wasting everyone’s time.

?? Six crucial steps hiring managers should follow

This has been my process for at least the past decade of being a hiring manager at four very different organizations, and I think it’s a pretty sensible approach.

1. Have all your ducks in a row
2. Make sure each step in your process truly adds value
3. Stop expecting perfection
4. Be decisive
5. Look for coaching potential
6. Communicate as fast as you can

?? #1. Have all your ducks in a row

More than once you’ve probably seen a job get posted, accept applicants and then mysteriously disappear within just a day or two. Upon further inquiry – if you can get a response from the organization – you learn that the position didn’t get funded, an employee rescinded their resignation or the hiring manager is revising the requirements of the role. I know direction can change unexpectedly, but before getting people excited and interested in a job, please make sure the position actually exists! Candidates might have spent anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours prepping and completing your application process. That’s time they could have spent doing almost anything more rewarding.

?? #2. Make sure each step in your process truly adds value

Some hiring managers and companies keep the application process simple, but others add all manner of steps in the process, including but not limited to: cover letters; work samples; references; online tests; in-person tests; special projects; multiple screening interviews; etc. All of these things might be fine, but please ask yourself how much they will really matter in your final decision. Furthermore, you should also question whether these steps are coming at the right point in the process. Case in point: the cover letter. Does it make sense to receive 500 cover letters from every one of your initial applicants – many of whom you will not advance forward after a 10-second or less review of their resume? It does not, and I would challenge most hiring managers to confirm that they actually read all of the cover letters they receive. Here are some results I got from a recent poll:

At best they seem OK, but not essential. Perhaps a better method would be to request a letter only from your serious candidates based on their resume reviews. Have each candidate answer specific questions about their background and ability to do the job and let them know that they’ve made it to the next step in the hiring process. If you do that for 5 out of your 500 candidates, you’ve just saved hundreds of people from writing an unnecessary cover letter when what you really needed all along was to just see a resume as your first step.

The same goes for test projects and samples of work. You should only ask people to create case studies, writing samples or related screening items if they are truly in your final pool of 2 to 3 applicants. And again, if you ask this of a candidate let them know that it’s a final step so that they are aware of the potential stakes. One other thing, I’m strongly against asking people to create work product in the hiring process that is intended to actually be used by the company without compensation. I’ve heard of that happening and think it’s highly unethical. People should be paid for their work. Case closed.

?? #3. Stop expecting perfection

I’ve been late for a job interview. I’ve had a typo in a cover letter. I’ve made other mistakes as well, but I think my professional track record is pretty darn strong. If you toss out an otherwise great applicant due to one mistake you might be missing out on a really strong addition to your team. People shouldn’t be sloppy when applying for a job, but simple mistakes happen. I’ve hired people – with good results – who weren’t perfect in the process.

?? Tip: You will never find someone who is totally perfect and that extends to their professional experience and skill set. Unicorns don’t exist, so stop expecting to find one from your job applicants. This is also good advice for candidates to think about as well. If your employer expects you to be a unicorn, that’s a warning sign that expectations are way too high and you might be getting set up for failure.

?? #4. Be decisive

This is directly related to the point above, but it’s worth repeating. You will never find perfection, so you are likely to be faced with having to make a decision of hiring a candidate from the pool you have built or dragging the process out until you get a bigger pool to choose from. If you truly found nobody who could do the job, you probably should start over. However, I think that’s rarely the case. You’re just going to need to decide what factors matter the most and make an offer to the candidate who delivers most of what you want. I’ve seen roles languish for six months or longer without being filled because the hiring manager couldn’t find “the one.” At that point, how badly do you even need the role?

?? #5. Look for coaching potential

I had an insightful executive tell me once that you “can’t teach nice.” Almost every type of skill can be built through experience or training. Being nice can’t be taught by you as a manager. You can hire a super smart person, but if they alienate everyone on your team and in the company, it’s not going to work out in the long run. Depending on the level of the role, you can coach up any specific skill that is needed to be successful if you’re willing to put in the time with your new hire. I’ve never seen it work well to hire someone who doesn’t get along with others. One of the first questions I ask myself of any candidate is “would I like working with this person five days a week for the next year or more?” If the answer is no, I move on.

?? Tip: This is why I prefer a quick screening phone call to a cover letter. Cover letters tell me about skills, but nothing about personality. In contrast, I’ve known within two minutes of every screening phone call whether a candidate is someone I wanted to move on to the next stage of the process.

?? #6. Communicate as fast as you can

This is a tricky one, but in general be transparent and open about the process. If someone has taken the time and effort to go through you process and emerged as a serious candidate, communicate back about where you are on a decision. If someone sends you an email after their interview, acknowledge that you received it. As quickly as you can make a decision, let those who were interviewed know that you’ve selected someone else and thank them for their time. I’ve heard from so many people that went on job interviews – even involving travel to another state – who never heard anything back later. That’s just disrespectful.

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?? Closing thought

So to sum this all up, as hiring managers let’s be respectful to what’s likely to be a difficult process for job candidates for the near future as we emerge from COVID-19 (whenever that proves to be) and hiring resumes in earnest. Treat your candidates how you would want to be treated. Basically, equally value their time and your time. That’s a win-win for everyone, as I think you'll end up with the best candidates to choose from and hire.