First in HR is a series we dreamed up here at Recruiterbox to help those who are hiring for small businesses and startups.

In today's lighting speed business world, it's not always easy to know what to do and how to do it. That's where First in HR comes in. Read the entire series here or just sign up for our inbox updates. Today's contribution comes from industry leader Maren Hogan of Red Branch Media.

When you are first in HR, sometimes candidate experience can be easy to remember. After all, it wasn't that long ago you were the applicant, then the candidate, then the newly hired! So remembering to make your candidate's experience painless, easy, special or even fun, can often come naturally. But after 

- a volume hiring

- a frustrating string of bad hires

- selecting a vendor for everything HR-related under the sun!

Let's just say, burnout is common. But candidate experience is (and always will be) a huge part of the recruiting and retention process. And one of the ways that you can make your candidates' experience really amazing, is to NOT WASTE THEIR TIME!

Did that sound harsh? Sorry, I don't mean to be. It's just that, in a world of ATS's and CRM's ,when you can barely tell the difference between recruitment marketing and employment branding, when qualified top talent waits for actual MONTHS to get a callback, well...candidates sometimes get the short end of the stick.

And there's no reason for it! Especially when you are a smaller company. Imagine, no inured procedure, no frustrating HQ to ask (usually). If you're first in HR, you have the ability to quickly and (almost) painlessly shorten your hiring cycle. WE have to give props where it's due. This article, which happens to mention Recruiterbox, was a huge inspiration. Go read it to learn even more about getting great candidates to work faster!

Increasing time to hire and cultural fit is as easy as 1.2.3....4.5.

1) Get your workforce planning in place

Most really talented people leave for one reason. There was nothing left for them to learn! So instead of just typing out job descriptions, start thinking about where this person may end up in 3 years, 5 years, 12 years. How can they advance within the company? Don't have that plan? Make one and make sure that those within the company understand there is a clear path for them (based on revenues) as well.

2) Join the club

There are regional clubs for entrepreneurs, national associations, trade associations and more. While the dues are relatviely inexpensive, smart recruiters know to mine these particular areas because of the quality of talent they can find there. The same goes for your CEO or executive leadership. The tide of entrepreneurial pride is strong intoday's culture and your entire team should take advantage and network the heck out of it!

3) Say it...Don't Spray It

Instead of getting your job posting out on every board, make sure it says the right things, especially when it comes to salary. Why waste everyone's time doing a silly little dance around what you're willing to pay? Some companies lose money waiting to fill a position. In fact, a recent stat shows that 47% applications pour in when you put a salary range or figure next to the title. 

4) If you can't hire em, train em

This is a cute way of saying 'hire for cultural fit, rather than skilled competencies". Is training and onboarding a new hire stressful? YES. Can it be the best and least expensive decision you ever made? Also YES! When you start your hiring process with workforce planning, you can hire slightly ahead of the curve, giving your company the freedom to train during slower times and shift your hiring focus to those who will be the best fit long term, rather than someone who can take over the entire project from Day 1.

5) Make it a long-term initiative

Talent that you want/need/can't live without doesn't look for work at the exact moment you post it. In fact, some aren't looking at all. Being proactive about keeping recruitment ads active and searching for right fit people (see point #4) at key times throughout the year ensure that you're staying relevant for that candidate you never knew you couldn't live without!