The hiring process is much more than a mere first impression. It impacts your bottom line, productivity, and future success. In this post, we will detail hiring best practices that span all industries and trades.
From recruitment to employee benefits, PTO, and everything in between, America’s Best Office is here to handle all HR-related administrative tasks to allow business owners and managers to focus on what’s most important, their customers. If you’d like to learn more about how we help our clients grow every day, read our Client Success Stories.
Top 10 Hiring Best Practices
Follow these top ten hiring best practices to streamline your hiring process and create a more efficient and effective workforce:
#1. Make Sure Your Job Posting Inspires People to Apply
We are currently facing a labor shortage in the United States with no end in sight. This means that job seekers have more options than ever before. For employers, this means that you cannot afford to skimp on your job description. In order to stand out in this crowded field, you must craft a job description that piques peoples’ interest and gets them excited about your working for you. This is your time to show off, from impressive employee benefits packages, healthy PTO policies, free snacks, and so forth — if you’ve got it, you must put it in your job description to attract top-tier candidates!
#2. Look for Drive and Vision
The labor shortage may leave some employers feeling desperate and hiring candidates they otherwise would not have. This is a mistake that should be avoided at all costs because, in the long run, it will end up costing you in terms of employee turnover — in fact, bad hires who end up leaving or being fired can waste up to $240,000 in total costs! Even though you may feel like you’re in a pinch and need to hire ASAP, you must ensure the candidate has drive and vision and won’t be just another clock-punching employee.
#3. Prioritize Candidates Who Come Prepared
Candidates who have researched the company mission, values, and history and come prepared with questions and ideas should be sent to the top of your prospective hire list. This preparation allows you to have a much deeper, thought-provoking, and even inspiring interview instead of having to stop and explain to them who you are, what your history is, and how they might fit in.
#4. Seek Out the Change Makers
The only constant in business these days is change, so if you hire a person or a team of people who don’t want to leave their comfort zones, it will be impossible for your business to evolve with the swiftly changing needs of today’s consumers.
#5. Review All Applications and Credentials Carefully
We live in a fast world. But, it’s critically important to slow down when you’re considering who to hire. Make sure you take enough time to fully vet each candidate before moving along in the hiring process. This means going through their application, resume, cover letter, references, etc., in detail. Take the time to call the references listed and screen all applications against your list of required qualifications, skills, experience, and so on.
#6. Check Out Prospect’s Social Media Footprints
In today’s social media-first world, every person has the ability to create their own unique brand via social media, which is why a quick social media scan is vital to give you a better idea of who these candidates are and how they represent themselves (and their employer) online. In fact, a 2018 survey found that 70 percent of employers research job candidates on their social networks.
Online reputations are more important than ever, and the last thing you want is one of your employees trashing you, the competition, political figures, or their own family members all over social media. Social media presence can also give you key insights into a potential hire’s level of responsibility, creativity, and intelligence. A bit of silly content, banter, or opinions is fine, but watch out for those candidates who are constantly ranting, posting explicit content, and airing out all of their dirty laundry online.
#7. Ask the Right Questions
As we mentioned above, the deeper conversation you can get into with job prospects, the better. Try to come up with questions that involve critical thinking or that test on-the-job skills to ensure you hire the right employee. Good interview questions can help you easily separate the desirable candidates from the average ones.
#8. Humanize Your Recruitment Process
The more formal and tedious your recruitment process is (I.e., having to submit a resumé AND fill out an online form with all of the same information), the less likely applicants will be to go through the entire process. Instead of relying on a computer, walk through the process to ensure it is user-friendly and won’t scare top talent away.
#9. Consider Internal Candidates
What’s better than hiring someone who has already proven themselves to you and who knows your business’s processes and systems? Don’t forget about internal candidates when you’re hiring! What’s more, hiring internally is three times as efficient as hiring referrals.
#10. Extend the Job Offer
Congrats, you’ve found your ideal match! Now it’s time to make an offer: craft a job offer letter that details the job duties, salary, and benefits. Be prepared for some negotiation, especially if it’s a senior position.
Are you thinking about outsourcing your HR functions? America’s Back Office is here to help. America’s Back Office has highly trained professionals prepared to take the burden of HR Administration from business owners so they can spend more time growing their business and caring for their customers’ needs.
How America’s Back Office Can Help
To learn more about how partnering with a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), can help you scale your business, contact America’s Back Office today. ABO is part of just 3% of PEOs across the country that are IRS-certified. This unique distinction shows that we always go the extra mile to ensure we are offering the best possible services to our clients.
