Key points about recruitment:
- Usually driven by HR, the recruitment process includes identifying a staffing need, filling it, and every step in between
- An efficient, effective recruitment process is critical to finding and hiring quality talent
- An all-in-one HRIS with talent management software (SentricHR) can help streamline and simplify the recruitment process
Recruiting is just one of the many responsibilities that fall to HR—and it’s a big one, encompassing everything from forecasting future talent needs to signing and onboarding new employees. Recruitment in 2022 also carries some pressure: with a decades-low unemployment rate of 3.6%, competition for candidates is high.
An effective recruitment process will help you reach and hire employees who are a good fit, boosting retention rates and reducing turnover. Recruitment efficiency is also critical, given the hiring process takes about 36 days—but top candidates are only on the market for an average of 10 days.
This post offers an overview of recruitment steps, focusing on key considerations and ways you can refine and streamline the process, positioning you for hiring success.
What is the Recruitment Process?
Recruitment is the process of finding, evaluating, selecting, hiring, and welcoming new employees. Individuals may be recruited from within the organization (internal recruitment) or outside (external).
Generally, the goals of a well-planned recruitment process are to:
- Find candidates with the skills and expertise you need to fill vacancies or support growth
- Decrease new-hire turnover by ensuring candidates fit into your workplace culture and values
Your recruitment process should be designed to reflect your company’s brand and professionalism. Errors, an arduous application process, unnecessary waiting time, or an otherwise unpleasant candidate experience will turn off many top-tier candidates.
Recruitment Process Steps
Every organization will have its own process and requirements. The 7 steps outlined below are general guidelines for your recruitment process and may overlap or be broken down into additional tasks.
1. Identify Needs
In some cases, you simply need to fill a vacancy. But in other cases, you need to look ahead and forecast future needs. Consider:
- What is your current turnover rate?
- What are the growth plans for your organization?
- What positions are likely to open in the next 1-2 years?
Also take time to identify specific qualities you’re looking for in new employees, such as certain skills and qualifications, or even personality traits and values. Establishing a candidate profile or persona will help guide your recruitment and target individuals who are likely to contribute positively to your organization.
2. Craft the Perfect Job Posting
Job postings should offers a clear description of the role and requirements, insight into the organization, and the benefits offered. Keep in mind that most people job search on their phones—do not leave out important details, but be as concise as possible. Make sure the application process is clear, simple, and mobile device-friendly.
Requirements of the job
Be specific. Applicants should know exactly what the role is, what the requirements are, and what qualifications you are looking for. Be clear, accurate, and precise so potential candidates are well-informed of the opportunity.
Company profile
About 65% of job seekers say that a company’s culture is the most important factor in their decision to apply. What does your organization value? Diversity, inclusion, entrepreneurship, community support, flexibility? What does a typical workday look like? Describe your company and culture accurately and appealingly.
Salary and benefits
Candidates scan job postings for salary, so include numbers if you can. Equally important for many are health benefits. Time off, flexible or remote work, and other perks can also be valuable selling points.
3. Talent Search
This is arguably the most important step of the recruiting process: reaching the right candidates, engaging them, and inspiring them to apply.
Depending on the position, you may decide to advertise internally in order to offer current employees new opportunities and to generate referrals. External avenues include job boards and portals, recruitment fairs, industry publications, campuses, professional organizations, and your own careers page or site. Using professional recruiting services is also an option for some companies.
Read our blog post on social media and recruiting for ideas on how to engage potential candidates using LinkedIn, Snapchat, Facebook, and other platforms.
4. Candidate Screening
Sifting through applications to create a short list of candidates can be time consuming. Develop a list of minimum qualifications to guide you through this process. Consider an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to help you quickly sort through resumes and pull out the most qualified candidates. You can further cull this list by looking for preferred credentials.
For certain positions, you may ask candidates to complete a technical or writing test to aid your screening process.
5. Interview
The remaining top-tier applicants now move into the interview process. A short telephone pre-interview may help determine if the candidate should move to an in-person (or virtual) formal interview.
Interviews are usually conducted by management, either by an individual or a panel. HR will likely be tasked with providing the interviewer(s) with the candidate’s resume and background information. The interviewers should be just as prepared as the interviewee.
A great interview is a two-way conversation that will establish if a candidate is qualified and committed to the role. Evaluate how they measure up against your candidate profile, and how they might add to your company culture.
Be sure to advise candidates about the interview and selection process, and when they should expect to hear back.
6. Decision and Offer of Employment
When you have completed the employee evaluation and selected the preferred candidate, there may still be a few steps:
- Reference check
- Verify employment details (start date, salary, conditions of employment, etc.)
- Background check
When everything is in order, it’s time to extend the offer of employment.
7. Onboarding
After the offer of employment has been accepted, it’s time to get ready for your employee’s first day. Onboarding includes everything from welcoming the employee to finalizing paperwork to planning the first days of work.
The Benefits of Getting Recruitment Right
In a time of low unemployment and skills shortage (83% of HR professionals say they’ve had difficulty recruiting suitable job candidates), having an established recruitment process and understanding the steps—and who participates in each one—is key.
Getting recruitment right helps:
- Attract and engage quality applicants
- Ensure your organization has the talent it needs to succeed and grow
- Predict future needs and avoid the scramble to fill positions
- Hire people who will contribute positively to your company culture
- Bring in top-tier talent and new perspectives
- Save time, giving the HR team the ability to work on other projects
- Reduce hiring costs
An all-in-one HRIS with talent management software can help with the recruitment process by establishing and automating workflows while tracking candidates as they move through the process.
Create an Effective Recruitment Process with SentricHR
SentricHR’s recruiting features move candidates through the recruiting process seamlessly, giving them a mobile-friendly experience and freeing HR managers from manual updates. SentricHR can help you hire in record time—and move successful candidates smoothly through onboarding. Schedule a demo today to learn more.
Read more about the recruiting process in our previous blog posts.
