Our last post focused on some of the major issues that surrounded the world of hiring in recruiting and some of the issues that the current market is facing such as a booming hiring but not necessarily a boom in qualified workers. Another major issue the market is finding is the fact that hiring managers and recruitment staff aren’t doing enough research to make sure that what they are advertising is what their company is actually in need of. This is leading to frustration with the hiring of people who are not qualified to do the tasks that are being asked of them and a high burnout rate. All of these issues boils down to one major problem, and that is simply a lack of good communication happening on all levels. If communication where to shift even a little bit in some of these areas, companies and prospective employees would find themselves in a much better situation.
One of the top issues that was faced was the lack of quality candidates who are being hired for or even applying for certain jobs. A lot of the times hiring managers are just taking what they can get and not thoroughly vetting the job applicants to make sure they are a good fit. They develop almost a fear of missing out on a good candidate and hire quickly rather than playing the long game and making sure that the person they have is the person they actually need. This is kind of fed by the problem that the person they are looking to hire isn’t necessarily out looking for a job.
The best way to handle this issue is to do simple follow up with people who have probably applied in the past and the timing wasn’t necessarily right the first time but they seemed impressive. Basically, follow up with previous applicants is more likely to get you a quality candidate rather than just cold out reach to people that you hope might want to work for you. Not only that, it shows that your business is dedicated and willing to go the extra mile to make sure that they are taking care of their employees and making sure that they are a good fit for the jobs that they are being hired to do.
Another major issue that was brought up previously is the fact that it is taking way too long for some companies to hire quality candidates because the amount of tasks that they have to perform to get to the hiring stage is slowing them down. This is leading to candidates dropping out of the race because they are excepting job offers elsewhere. The best solution to this problem is to find a way to streamline the process of hiring and scouting new recruits. Using websites or software that are specifically designed to screen employee profiles or even their resumes posted online may help connect companies with the kind of workers they are looking for quickly and allow them to spend less time on the tedious task and more time getting good workers in the doors.
Yet another side to this long process for hiring quality candidates can be that the hiring team is having issues, whether it be coming to a consensus on a candidate, being in an industry that requires a little bit more hiring time, or simply a lack of quality candidates. The first thing to look at is the actual hiring process that you are using and implementing. You need to ask yourself if all the steps that you were asking your hiring committee to go through are entirely necessary. If they are not, look for ways that you can streamline the process or even eliminate extraneous task. Look to make sure your hiring team is communicating quickly and efficiently with each other and also with potential candidates. It is also worth the effort to set realistic expectations with your hiring staff about how long it should take to fill a position realistically and highlighting the importance of putting the right person in the job so as to not cost them in the company extra time and money from a bad hire.
Another crucial step to take is making sure that that hiring team is trained for the job that they are doing and that they continue to receive support and regular out reach in professional development so that they can keep doing their job to the best of their abilities so that you can keep your company running at peak shape. It all comes down to making sure that the people who are making decisions are supported and are qualified to be making those types of decisions when they are doing their work.