Is your recruitment process as effective as you thought it to be in searching for the top candidates and growing your business? Or are you losing all the excellent candidates to hire? 

How can you make improvements in your current recruitment process to get the results that you want? 

Because of technological advancements, the whole recruitment process has changed over the years. 

The Importance of Updating Your Hiring Process

Technology changes the world as we know it. The hiring practices that were so effective years ago are already outdated. To keep up, you need to adapt. 

Aside from the rise of the internet, tools like interview scheduling and video interviewing have streamlined the entire hiring process, saving the company both time and money, and making the recruitment officer's life easier. 

To keep up, you need to acknowledge these advances and start investing in smart recruiting. Otherwise, you'll be left in the dust, losing the top talent because you insist on sticking with the traditional way. 

Strategies on How to Update Your Recruitment Process

Try Video Interviewing

While video interviewing is relatively new to the recruitment world, you also have to consider that digital natives make up a significant proportion of the workforce. 

Potential candidates are going to respond more positively if they're talking to a digital device during the interview and in the comfort of their home. 

From an employee’s point of view, it’s a more efficient approach for the initial screening of candidates. 

This doesn’t mean that you have to eliminate every aspect of the conventional interview process. The hiring officer will provide a contact number to candidates who are moving forward, provide the required information, and encourage the candidate to ask questions. 

This allows the organization to get to know a large pool of candidates without spending a lot of time (and resources!) looking for them. 

Go for Non-Traditional Networking

Are you still going with the conventional way of recruiting, like paper job applications and resumes, and single job board posts? If so, you don’t have the same access to the pool of talents as your competitors do. 

More and more quality candidates are submitting applications online and connecting with recruitment officers on social media. 67% of job seekers are using social media to gain insight into the company’s work culture. 

Utilizing social recruitment tools like LinkedIn, Twitter, HiringSolved, TalentHook, and social media platforms like Facebook allows you to get in front of your candidates, create engagement, and stimulate an interest in them to apply in one of the open positions in your company. You can also get qualified leads based on the qualifications you’re looking for to make your recruitment more targeted and efficient.

Caring for your Candidates

If you’re already caught up in a recruitment crisis, it can be easy to overlook how potential hires are experiencing the interaction with you. 

Strive to be mindful at all times to create a better recruitment experience for them. It will prevent you from losing good candidates and improve the reputation of your company through positive word-of-mouth. 

Here are some ways to care for your prospective hires:

• Don’t low-ball their salary. Everyone has good access to the internet these days, and people will immediately know if your offer is at par with their credentials and experience. If your hiring officers are low-balling on job offers and losing out the best candidates in the pack, then it’s time to make the necessary adjustments on your recruitment process, know the going market rate for salaries, and bring offers to quality hires. 
• Be responsive. Make a response template to acknowledge you received the resumes, and another one to inform candidates who didn’t make it to the cut. 
• Shorten the interview process through careful pre-screening of candidates. Avoid using broad job descriptions and clearly explain the specific skills and experience you’re looking for.
• Don’t waste your time on the interview process. Get rid of inefficiencies and things that will waste your time or frustrate potential hires. Does it take you months to fill in a position? Do you leave people hanging for long periods before responding to them? Does it take a long time to complete your application online? Fix and make necessary adjustments to help save time and improve your efficiency. 

Capitalize on Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

The internet these days is gold. Therefore, you need to enhance your SEO to improve your online visibility, allowing more people to see your recruiting ads. There are a lot of easy ways to do this, and the most vital of all is by optimizing your website for mobile. 

In fact, according to the job listing website Indeed, 78% of millennials, 73% of Gen Xers and 57.2% of baby boomers are using mobile phones to search for a job.  

Create Clear and Compelling Job Ads

An effective job ad will help you attract good candidates. Make sure to work with your team in creating job descriptions that:

• Give useful and specific details about the job role. When listing job duties, mention the projects the new hire might need to work on, or the teams they have to work with. 
• Pick straightforward job titles. Create clear job roles. Stay away from words like “rockstar” or potential click baits, like “an excellent opportunity for new graduates!”
• Promote your company. State what makes your company different and give compelling reasons why candidates should apply. Don’t forget to state your company’s benefits and perks as well. 
• Use an inclusive and clear language. Try to stay away from jargon and overly complex sentences. Don’t use discriminatory and offensive language as well. Also, if your organization is supporting diversity within the workplace, tell your candidates. 

Pick Great Candidates

So, which particular candidate should you hire? Who has the best chance of being successful at their job? Perhaps one of the most important choices you make in your recruitment process are your hiring decisions. 

Bringing in the right candidate who understands your mission and purpose and fit into your culture can help you achieve your goals.

Of course, new hires should possess a few basic qualities like excellent communication and social skills, ability to work in a fast-paced environment, a team-first mentality, and so on, but that’s only just the beginning. 

Successful hiring means that you have to look beyond the surface. 

During the interview phase, asking the right questions will allow you to determine the best applicant. What  kind of candidate will likely innovate to increase productivity? Can they quickly bounce back after receiving a call from an angry customer? How will the potential hire treat customers after a long shift? Those are important assets to look for when hiring call center employees. 

If you choose the right one and get it right the first time, then it’s going to be much easier for everyone concerned in the long run. 

Final Thoughts

Improving your company’s recruitment process is a continuous one. Take your time in making a few vital changes, so you can generate stellar results for recruiting and hiring prospective candidates. 

After all, having the right employees in the right positions is crucial for any profitable organization.