With a few simple strategies and steps, you can create a people-centric, data-driven hiring process that attracts the best new talent and drives results.
1. Engage applicants.
Create a fun and positive applicant experience. Help your applicants out with an easy-to-follow process. You’ve been hiring for years, and let’s face it: It’s hard to read the label when you are inside the jar. Now is the time to review your hiring strategies and put yourself in the place of your applicants. Megan Biro, writing for Forbes Magazine, recommends “As you design or improve your hiring process, keep the applicant experience front and center at all times.” Why not engage a few new hires to help you see points of confusion or discouragement that your applicants might bump into in your process? And actually, if you have ever been an applicant (and who hasn’t?!), you can do this yourself by reflecting on your experience. Once identified, you can fix these pain points. You will compete for the best talent by creating and continually reviewing the experience for potential hires.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND: Examine application process from the applicant’s point of view.
2. Be transparent.
How much do your applicants know about your company? Make it part of your hiring strategy to tell your story. If you were to write a letter about your company to a treasured friend or valued mentor, what would you say? Take this approach when creating your company’s profile in the job posting. When you engage with an applicant, be sure to share your vision and values. This helps the employee see themselves as part of the future of your company. And finally, be sure to give a realistic preview of the job. You want to help applicants know what it’s really like to work for your company and have clear expectations for on-the-job behaviors and deliverables. This step in your hiring strategies will yield more satisfied employees as appropriate expectations are set. In addition, according to Fast Company’s Craig Chappelow, “At any level in the organization, the challenge for employees is to try to convert the vision into their day job. By mentioning specific tasks, actions, and behaviors that bring the vision to life, leaders can help employees convert the concept into practice.”
HIGHLY RECOMMEND: Initiate vision engagement early in the hiring process.
3. Streamline steps.
Attract more applicants by keeping the steps clear and concise. Use shorter assessments that are easy to access and complete. A study by Microsoft found that humans now have shorter attention spans than goldfish! Using objective tools to narrow the applicant pool is an important efficiency for your hiring strategies. And, particularly for entry-level jobs, keep these short and sweet and easy to finish in one sitting.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND: Condense and clarify application process.
4. Go virtual.
The data is clear. According to the Pew Research Center, 96% of Americans own a cell phone of some kind. And Glassdoor reports, “. . . 58 percent of Glassdoor users are looking for jobs on their phones, and . . . 35 percent of job seekers say that they would actually prefer to apply to jobs from their phones.” So, to attract and hire the best new talent, it’s important to offer mobile-friendly job applications, interviews, and assessments that candidates can complete on any device. This is particularly true in 2020 when going virtual isn’t an option, it’s a necessity.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND: Offer pre-hire tools that can be completed on a smartphone.
5. Use analytics.
We’ve shared this before, and it’s truer than ever before. “Performance analytics can help you pinpoint what is – and isn’t – working with your selection process.” Don’t be afraid of the facts! Good data can help you celebrate successes and fix areas that need improvement. As an employer, when you are equipped with objective data, you can then create hiring strategies to adjust and improve your HR processes to drive business results. What will happen? You’ll increase the quality of new hires, decrease hiring costs, and boost productivity. These are all great reasons to utilize performance analytics!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND: Use performance analytics to tweak hiring strategies.
If you would like help mapping out effective hiring strategies, Employment Technologies can help you plan action steps that can take your team to the next level. Give us a call at 888.332.0648. There’s absolutely no obligation.