10 keys to improve the quality of your hiring process

The continuous improvement of processes is one of the keys for companies to continue advancing in the achievement of their objectives. If you are looking to improve processes such as production, why not improve the hiring process?

the of recruiting people is one of the most complex tasks and important that are carried out in an organization. The good adaptation between the new employee and the company depends on both parties seeing their expectations satisfied and beginning a fruitful relationship.

When we improve the hiring process we achieve:

• Increase employee retention rate.
• Increase productivity, by incorporating high-performing employees into the workforce.
• A higher level of satisfaction among the workforce at all levels, since everyone will be positively affected by the arrival of a new talented employee in the organization.

To enjoy these benefits, the quality of the recruitment and hiring process must be improved, and this time we are going to see 10 ways to achieve it.

1. Measure the current quality of the process

Before knowing where we want to go, we must be clear about our starting point. We can never be aware of how far we have come in improving the process if we do not know where were we when we started.

Precisely for this reason, the first thing to do is an in-depth analysis of the quality of the contracting process that we are currently applying. Something for which we can measure parameters like:

• Average time it takes to fill a vacant position.

• Candidate search sources.

• Types of tests carried out during the selection phases.

• Retention rate of new employees.

2. Work on job descriptions transversally as a key to improving the hiring process

The job description it is a detailed description of a job that helps determine what characteristics are essential in the person who occupies it.

But it often happens that these job descriptions they are quite generic. This means that recruiters are not entirely clear on what exactly to look for. Fortunately, it is a problem that has an easy solution.

With collaboration between the department looking for a new employee and Human Resources experts, you can delve into the job description and ensure that it is always up to date. 

If that collaboration between departments occurs throughout the entire selection process, there are many more chances that the person finally chosen will be the most suitable for the position in question.

3. Write a clear and detailed offer

The job ghosting It is a phenomenon that is on the rise. Candidates who participate in some phases of the selection process and then disappear without being able to communicate with them again.

This usually happens because the job seeker ends up realizing that there is no adequate correlation between what the company offers and what he or she is interested in. The best way to avoid this situation is to publish offers that are clear, detailed and transparent.

To this day, there are still many advertisements in which it is difficult to determine what exactly the company is looking for. Sometimes, the position to be occupied is not even clearly defined, and this generates mistrust between candidates.

If the job offer is not realistic and clear, the only thing we get is that the selection process unnecessarily lengthy and that the experience of the candidates is not positive. In addition, the chances of ending up hiring someone who is not suitable for the position are increased.

4. Publish the offer in the right places as a key to improving the hiring process

Another obstacle that can prevent the location of the right candidates is that they are not looking in the right place for it.

Many Human Resources departments they always publish their job offers on the same sites, without differentiating according to the type of profile they need, and this is a mistake. It is useless to invest time and money in publishing advertisements in media in which it is not guaranteed that these reach the knowledge of people who may really be interested in the job and adapt more or less well to the profile desired by the company.

One of the measures to take to improve the effectiveness of the selection process is to carefully review the channels in which the offers are published and determine in which cases each of them will be used. 

Quality is better than quantity. A candidate search source that offers us 15 resumes of people who could fit the position is better than a source that provides us with 200 resumes with little or no adaptation to what the organization needs.

5. Assess soft skills

Selection processes must evolve and take advantage of all available tools. Instead of limiting yourself to the classic curricular screening and interviews, it is more effective to carry out competency tests, such as Hirint.

Thanks to them you can Get to know your candidates more directly and objectively, allowing easy comparison. This speeds up and simplifies making the final decision.

6. Simplify internal processes as a key to improving the hiring process

The different internal procedures and paperwork that must be done as the selection process progresses can make it take much longer than necessary. Which can lead to some talented candidates becoming uninterested in the position.

An interesting way to increase the quality of the hiring process is to reduce internal bureaucracy, making the work of the selection experts is much more agile and is focused on what is really important: assessing the capabilities of the candidates.

On the other hand, it is also important to simplify the process as much as possible for the candidates. Make it easy and fast for them to sign up for a job offer and follow up on their application.

7. Increase the objectivity of the selection process

Traditional recruitment methods are often too subjective, because opinions and beliefs of the recruiter end up influencing the final decision. 

The biases that we all apply unconsciously are often the "culprits" that the candidate finally chosen does not adapt well to the position or the company, which ends up giving rise to their rotation, either voluntarily or by business decision.

So that this does not happen, you have to work on the objectivity of the recruiters. make them aware of their cognitive biases and give them tools that help them carry out their task in the most objective way possible.

Currently there are many platforms that help you minimize these biases, What hirint, since our algorithm does not know race, gender or age. 

8. Assess the fit of the candidate to the organization's culture as a key to improving the hiring process

It may happen that the perfect candidate to fill a position has a personality or personal traits that make him not fit too well with the company culture, and that could be a obstacle for the future.

For example, does it make sense for a person who loves hunting to work in the marketing department of a vegan food company? Surely this will end up causing a conflict of interest that can lead to the employee and his employer not feeling comfortable.

Although recruitment must be objective, we must not forget to pay attention to certain subjective aspects that allow us to identify if there will be a good adaptation to company values.

9. Take paid tests

No matter how many theoretical tests we do, and no matter how much we refine the selection process, we will never be completely sure that the chosen person is the right one until we see them work.

Although it is not very common in Spain, outside our borders companies often offer paid trial days to candidates. It is a way for the organization to get to know the candidate better, and for the candidate to have a more direct knowledge of what it is like to work in it.

A unique opportunity for both parties have first-hand information when making their decision. Because we cannot forget that the final decision does not depend only on the company. This can offer the position after the selection process, but it needs that the chosen candidate is willing to say "yes" to what is being offered.

10. Evaluate the results as a key to improving the hiring process

If at the beginning we had to make an evaluation of the starting point, after the improvement of the recruitment and selection process, and the incorporation of the new candidate, we have to monitor how everything has gone.

This will help detect strengths of the process to be promoted, and weak points that must be corrected and even suppressed. Often, the candidates who have gone through the selection process are the ones who can give the best feedback based on their experience.

Constantly evaluating the results, the hiring process enters a continuous improvement dynamic which makes it more and more effective. Allowing the company to find the ideal candidates in less time and at a lower cost.