Today’s job market is competitive, making hiring best practices more important than ever. Candidates are looking for fulfilling work with organizations that will value what they have to offer. Companies are looking for candidates who will bring the perfect combination of knowledge and experience to the organization. Finding where those two searches intersect is often easier said than done.
One way to make the hiring search less taxing for your organization and for your potential candidates is to implement solid hiring practices. The five practices outlined here will ensure that you, your team, and your candidate(s) have the best hiring experience possible.
The top hiring best practices
1. Know who you are before starting your search.
Before publicizing position vacancies, take some time to evaluate your company’s identity. Define your workplace culture and climate, take inventory of your company’s needs and desires, and decide who and what will positively contribute to those things. You may realize that there is internal work to be done in order to attract high-quality candidates. If so, spending this time upfront will help you bring in a better pool of applicants and ultimately hire someone who will want to stick around.
2. Look internally first.
Depending upon the position, the perfect candidate may be right under your nose. If the position you’re hiring for provides an opportunity for promotion, tell your team! They will feel valued and motivated by the prospect of internal upward mobility. Not to mention, internal candidates are already familiar with your company’s goals and way of doing things.
3. Ask your team for referrals.
If the available position cannot be filled internally or creates a new vacancy that must be filled externally, there’s no better place to start than inside referrals. It’s likely that your team has a network of like-minded professionals that are looking for new employment. You never know, one of them just could be the perfect fit for your organization. Don’t be afraid to ask your team for candidate suggestions. They’ll appreciate having their voices heard, and they might just save you time and money on your search.
4. Utilize equitable and inclusive hiring practices.
As an employer, your number one goal is to find the best candidate for the job. In order to do this, you’ll need to ensure that your search doesn’t involve any intentional or unintentional biases toward any particular race, gender, age, ethnicity, or physical ability. Utilize inclusive language in your job description and encourage all qualified applicants to submit their resumes. Don’t allow bias or discrimination to cause you to miss out on the best applicants out there.
5. Approach the experience from the candidate’s perspective.
Another way to ensure you’re getting quality applicants is to make the hiring process as enjoyable as possible. Obviously, there will be stress involved, and there are parts of the hiring process that are not always fun, but a little kindness and consideration go a long way. Candidates deserve as much visibility into the process as you can give them. That means, telling them how long you anticipate the hiring process will take, giving them the names of people they’ll be interviewing with, and being honest about what the role truly entails. A positive interviewing and hiring process has the power to set your company apart from your competitors.
The Bottom Line
Hiring can be stressful for both employers and candidates, but it can also be positive and productive. Implementing best practices for hiring will set your company up for success by providing you with the best and brightest applicants from which to choose.
Do you need help with your next job opening? We can help! Contact us today to learn about our services and how we can help you find the best candidate for each position.
