3 Action Items for Your Recruiting Process

Constantly revisiting each step of the recruiting process is essential for recruiters to stay competitive in attracting and engaging quality talent. Ever-evolving best practices, techniques and technologies require a constant finger on the pulse of modern recruiting tactics. Here are a few action items to improve your recruiting life cycle today.

Regular Forecasting and Collaboration Meetings

Goal /talent alignment will only successfully happen with an open and proactive dialogue. This means that the recruiting team needs to be constantly pulled into the loop as goal stages and product development evolve; in other words, all the time. Suggest regular meetings with execs and leaders aimed at forecasting talent needs and goal collaboration at each level of the organization. ERE contributor and founder of Twenty Recruitment Group, Adrian Kinnersley said:

“A good recruiter can help you qualify what it is you require. Sometimes a client hasn’t quite worked through exactly the balance between what they want and what they actually need. Talking this through with a recruiter to define a viable role can save a lot of time and heartache further down the road.”

An open dialogue, where wants and needs meet, is vital to success.

Tailored Job Descriptions

Get the feeling like you’ve seen the same job description a few dozen times? That’s probably because you have. Although much of the material, skills and experience will be the same, recruiters should switch it up and keep refreshing their job ads with a different tone and feel. This will not only add some flavor to the mix, but recruiters can see how each job ad performs, and improve with that knowledge. Author Jeff Haden suggests focusing on these four questions when creating job ads:

1. What is the real business need the right person will solve?

2. How will we quantitatively measure success so we can recognize a top performer?

3. What are the common attributes of our top performers--hard skills, soft skills, what they do in their free time?

4. Why would the right person want this job?

Ironing out the Application Process

As more companies are going with the latest and greatest in applicant tracking systems, those who aren’t investing are experiencing the negative effects of being left behind. The newest software creates a user-friendly, fast and efficient application process. If new software isn’t in the cards just yet, be sure to look for any roadblocks or inconveniences to candidates. If things aren’t smooth sailing, candidates will likely abandon the application process. Remove all clicks, questions and steps that aren’t totally necessary for screening. During this cleaning out process, be sure to look for fields that will redundantly ask for information. Also, concentrate on the careers page. Nick Leigh-Morgan, the managing director and founder of Zodo, gives us several pointers on crafting a great career page. Here are a few from him.

Have your careers, current vacancies, or a jobs link on the front page of your website.
You need some kind of statement that will gather information from candidates, even if the jobs listings available don’t suite them. “If you can’t see a suitable vacancy please email your CV to …”
Instead of dull profiles of a few people or vague statements from the CEO about a ‘fun, work hard/play hard atmosphere,” how about a couple of 30-second interviews/profiles of staff members outlining what it’s like.
Make it easy for everyone who views your job to be able to spread the word to people they know on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, or good old-fashioned email.

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