Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an unprecedented number of job vacancies across many industries around the world. Much of this was brought about by the changes that the pandemic introduced to the workforce, which changed the way people want to work.

Because of this, many companies have had to change the way they view their hiring processes and offers to attract better candidates. However, many businesses still struggle to understand how to revamp their processes completely.

Wondering what ideas your company should utilize to revamp your hiring process? Keep reading to find out more.

What is a Hiring Process?

A hiring process is a method by which companies go about hiring new employees for their available positions. These methods typically include everything from posting a position to hiring and onboarding new employees.

While the process may vary from industry to industry, for the most part, the pieces of hiring and onboarding typically are similar. In most cases, it is often the same process that has been used in the company for many years without many changes.

Keep in mind that the process you use to hire new employees will determine whether or not they stick with your company for the long haul. The hiring process must include recruiting, making a competitive offer of salary and benefits, and providing more than sufficient onboarding training.

Most Common Practices in a Hiring Process

Since most hiring processes differ somewhat from industry to industry and even company to company, it can be difficult to determine whether or not your process is working. For the most part, there are general practices that are followed to recruit candidates.

Create a Job Description

Having an accurate job description is one of the most important steps of the hiring process since this will guide the caliber of candidates that will apply. While most companies already have these descriptions in place, many find the need to adjust them when they are looking to hire.

A good job description should contain the specific needs that you have for the position and give the candidate an idea of what they would be doing if they were hired. In addition, you should want your job descriptions to be reflective of your company brand and culture.

Advertise for the Position

Once an accurate job description has been created, the next logical step is to get the word out to various places where candidates will see the posting. This sometimes means that companies will either outsource this to job boards, post in newspapers or online publications, or post on their websites.

Many companies have even begun using social media as a method for advertising their open positions since more and more people are on various platforms regularly. Advertising your job postings is one of the best ways to ensure that you have candidates that are applying for your open positions.

Sift Through Resumes and Applications

After you have created a job description that fits the position well and have posted the position in a variety of ways, it is typically time to start sifting through the applicant pool. This process is often one of the most grueling since it often takes the most time.

For most companies, you will likely have to sift through hundreds of resumes and applications before you find the few that are highly qualified. For most companies, this means either outsourcing the process or using internal manpower to get the job done.

Initial Screenings

Once hiring teams have narrowed down the applicant pool to the most qualified candidates, they often start screening candidates. This initial screening is typically done via phone calls, virtually, or in person and can also be somewhat tedious. 

In most cases, this initial screening is used to determine whether or not a candidate has certain soft skills that are needed for the position. The questions asked during screening are typically designed to be general ones that help you get to know the candidate a bit better.

Final Interviews

Of those companies that use initial screenings as a part of their hiring process, they use them to weed out candidates that would not be a good fit. This then leads to final interview rounds, where you are only interviewing a few highly qualified candidates.

During this step in the process, companies have narrowed down the applicant pool to those who are truly qualified and have a good chance of fitting the company brand. During these interviews, the questions get down to how their experiences fit with specific job requirements.

Assessments

Once final interviews are over, some companies have their employees participate in some type of assessment that will give them a bit more insight into their specific skill set. Although hiring teams have narrowed down the choices, this step will typically help them choose the right candidate for the position.

Many of these assessments can involve basic aptitude tests or even more intensive assessments that are designed to showcase their skills in a specific task. Companies who use assessments do so to ensure they are choosing the right candidates for available positions.

Reference Checks

At this stage of the hiring process, most companies have chosen the one or two candidates they like best for the position. The next logical step is to ensure that their background is what they say that it is through reference and background checks.

During this step in the process is when most companies get better insight into how the candidate has worked in the past. By checking references and their background, they can ensure that the candidate is not only qualified for the position but is going to fit well with the culture of the company.

Hiring Decision

One of the most common final stages of the hiring process is to make the final decision as to who fits best with not only the available position but also the company brand. At this stage, in most cases, one candidate stands out above the rest.

In many companies, this process is a decision of either a hiring team or a few members of top management. While some companies include departments in the process, others choose to leave the hiring process to upper management.

Job Offer

Once the decision is made, the hiring manager will work to put together an offer that will then be extended to the right candidate. This, of course, does not guarantee that the candidate will accept the position since they are likely interviewing for other positions as well.

Why Companies Should Revamp Their Hiring Processes

For many companies, the above-mentioned methods are used in most hiring processes across a wide range of industries. While the specifics of each step in the hiring process may look different, the overall method is typically the same.

The problem with the common practices is that, for many companies, it is not working to attract and retain the right people. This means that companies are hiring who they think are the best candidates to learn that they are not as loyal as they could be.

This is mostly because candidates in today’s job market are looking for more than just the next available position. They are looking for better opportunities that will give them a better work-life balance, more benefits, and greater flexibility.

Because of this, companies must find ways to revamp their hiring processes to ensure they are recruiting the best candidates for their available positions. To do this, there is a wide range of ideas that can be used.

8 Ideas for Revamping Your Hiring Process

If your hiring team is looking for ways to revamp your hiring process to recruit and attract more highly qualified candidates, you may need to step outside of your comfort zone. This means that the most common methods of the process may not work for your company the same way it has worked in the past.

Wondering what some of the best ideas for revamping your hiring process are? Keep reading to find out.

1. Start With Revamping Your Job Description

Since the most common steps in the hiring process begin with the job description, it makes the most sense to start the revamping process here as well. Many research studies show that taking the time to analyze your job description before looking for candidates can give you better insight into what you are looking for.

To do this, experts suggest you begin with an analysis and inventory of the job description to determine whether or not it fits with the company culture and other factors. These factors include determining what the most important skills are and whether the job description is too broad or narrow.

If your job description has not changed in many years, you may want to shake things up a bit by including some creative language and key buzzwords that may attract more qualified candidates.

2. Look Outside the Specific Qualifications

A resume or application only gives you part of the information about a specific candidate and whether or not they would be a good fit for your company. If you want to revamp your hiring process, you need to look outside the box.

This means that you should not rely only on looking at candidates that are 100% qualified for the position since you may never find that caliber. Instead, experts suggest looking for candidates who match most of the qualifications and then spending time training them on the rest.

3. Switch to Video Interviews

With in-person interviews, you can only hire from a narrow geographical location. Especially if you are looking to hire for a remote position, then there is no reason not to host your interviews digitally. 

Not to mention that digital interviews often take the pressure off of both your hiring manager and the potential employee in terms of time and stress. It will also give both parties more flexibility when choosing a time for the interview. 

4. Adopt a Procedure for Hiring From Within

Hiring from within is always a good idea, and it can help increase employee retention because they will feel as if their career is advancing. Plus, when you hire from within, you can skip certain aspects of the hiring procedure. 

This can save you both time and money, for example, you won’t need to do as many initial screenings or assessments because you already know the employee. Plus, they are already in your payroll system, and transferring them to a new department or role typically takes a few button clicks as opposed to an intake process.  

5. Use a Staffing Agency

No matter how much you revamp your hiring process, it will always consume significant money and resources. This is why many companies use a staffing agency. While it will still cost money, it allows the employees at your company to devote their man-hours where they really belong. 

Using a staffing agency reduces the need to sift through applications, as well as eliminates several employees that aren’t a fit for the job. While you still may need to do a final interview or two, using a staffing agency guarantees that the prospective employees that make it this far are truly a good fit for your company. 

6. Create a Better Hiring Package

In today’s job market, candidates are looking for more opportunities to have a greater work-life balance, more flexibility, and many other benefits. This means that if you truly want to revamp your hiring process, you will need to meet these demands to attract the best candidates.

When you are putting together offers for employment, you will need to take the time to ensure that yours is not only competitive but attractive as well. This means offering unique opportunities that they may not get in other places.

7. Offer Professional Development Opportunities

Another area where candidates in today’s job market are interested is the opportunity to grow professionally. For companies that want to attract and recruit the best talent, you will need to ensure that you offer these opportunities.

While onboarding training is expected, many companies have begun to offer further training to those who are interested. Doing this provides the opportunity for the employee to feel empowered and hopeful that they can grow with the company that will advance their career.

8. Consider Using Digital Methods of Contact

One of the reasons your hiring process might be using up time, money, and resources is because of all the phone calls managers need to make. Namely, when they don’t get the applicant the first go around. This can lead to the two of them playing phone tag trying to set up a time for the interview. 

Consider having your hiring manager use email or text to contact potential employees and set up interviews. You can also have them email or text to let them know to take an assessment. This will take much less time and effort, and your potential employee will appreciate it. 

Ready to Revamp Your Hiring Process?

Using the above-mentioned ideas to revamp your company’s hiring process can help you not only attract better candidates but increase the opportunity to retain employees as well. You and your hiring team must take a look at some of the biggest trends in hiring that exist today and adopt them in your current hiring process to stay competitive.

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