“Hiring should always be part of your long-term strategy, not a quick fix to an immediate problem.”
Steven J. Bowen, Founder of Maine Pointe quotes this in his book titled ‘Total Value Optimization’. His book expounds on how, with the right level of involvement, engagement and commitment, an organization’s effective running is achieved.
But how does hiring relate with management? What is the cost per hire? Which is the best recruitment plan? How do you conduct a job evaluation and analysis? What criteria will distinguish the candidates as potential employees? Perhaps the whole Human Resource concept of hiring may leave employers more puzzled than enlightened.
According to research on hiring strategies by Walden University, a case study found that acquiring new talent can be very expensive and time consuming to hiring managers. This combined with the recent COVID-19 shift in the job market indicates that hiring will not be any easy. And clearly it isn’t just about placing an ad for a vacant position, interviewing applicants and choosing those with the best answers.
The process of hiring seeks to identify your business/ Company’s/ organization’s talent need, sieve among applicants for this need to find candidates that best qualify to meet it. Assessing education levels, working experience and skillsets is just but the tip of the iceberg. An effective employer, hiring manager or HR officer understands the significance of hiring in reinforcing or potentially undermining any company.
1. Identify your talent need
It could be a new role or an existing role that that is vacant. The crucial HR management assignment is to identify the requirements that entail a job. Remember to also research the job market sector for recruitment. A good recruitment plan will enforce the right communication method, focus on key attributes a viable candidate needs to have and the best criteria to assess these attributes.
Through a well-conceived plan, your company is also positioning itself in a better place to attract highly qualified, well experienced and/or motivated potential employees (employer branding)
2. Advertising
Research on the industry, competitors offering similar opportunities and expected pay. This will help you draft the vacancy information to post. Find a channel suitable for attracting the right candidates and posting the minimum requirements and skills necessary for the job.
If this is done well, your organization/company is actually positioning itself better to hire valuable potential candidates.
3. Interviewing
Job applications to most people hiring easily show whether they are suitable for the job based on the listed qualifications. Interviews however, sieve the candidate for critical values needed for their roles, potential to assimilate to the company culture.
By focusing on working experience, specific topics related to the opportunity.
In many cases, the interview is carried out by a hiring committee/ interviewing panel. Each member of this body needs a particular scope to focus on and record information. This also cuts out wordiness and repetition. Couple this with moderately concise and clear questions. Many candidates tend to be left speechless simply because of misunderstanding lengthy questions.
4. Select Qualified candidates
A good employer/HR recruitment/placement manager needs to discern quality candidates and select potential employees for the company. Background checks and reference contacting fortifies the integrity of the information you have collected.
Always remember to give feedback both to the qualified as well as those who were not selected to be considered after the interview.
5. Hiring
Undisputedly one of the traditional roles in Human Resource Management (HRM), this step verifies that the suitable interviewed candidates for the job are now being employed.
A letter of offer is presented to the candidates who then sign this and possibly other relevant legal documents. Disclose the renumeration package they will receive and terms and conditions that need to be met. Once the candidate accepts and signs the agreements, they are now employees.
6. Onboarding of new employees
Share with them an outline of the day-to-day activities their roles entail. Clarify what is expected of the new role your employee has taken. Introduce them to the team and encourage a warm atmosphere for reception. Give an elaborate orientation.
Enthusiasm and excitement expressed when new employees join the team can raise their confidence and boost performance. The first impression they get is a defining factor in employee retention.
Give a detailed summary of your company’s current position, the direction being taken and how they are connected to reaching your short term and long-term goals.
At this point, clarify what channels of communication or feedback they can use to be supported as they carry out their tasks. Employee support, engagement and feedback shouldn’t end with onboarding.
Draft your Hiring Strategy
A poor hiring plan can be the genesis of avoidable problems; not attracting quality applicants, legal compliance issues, slacking employees, low retention rate and quite possibly, mental anguish!
A good candidate doesn’t necessarily imply a good employee either. Remember to have a hiring process focused around the values of the candidate that are necessary for the job listed.
With the above steps in mind, you can decide how your organizations talent needs can be met by the best employees sought through what you implement. Most small organizations are unable to sustain the cost of setting up an in-house HR department. Many large companies also find it challenging to have an unbiased inhouse recruitment. This is where Human Resource Outsourcing (HRO) comes in.
Dira HR Solutions provides a full range of end to end recruitment process in full compliance with the law and tailored to your company’s talent needs.
