Most businesses know what they want in an employee, but few are able to quickly and efficiently locate and onboard someone who meets their criteria. As a result, job positions remain open for too long, which results in desperate hires and poor returns. Luckily, there are some proven methods of speeding up the talent acquisition process.
Every day that a job opening remains vacant, you’re missing out on value. If you want to fill up these openings faster and find the right talent fit for the job, the following tips should help.
1. Find the right search firm
If you have a very specific position you need to fill, you probably assume that it’s going to take a lot of time to find the right candidate. And while this may be true, you can benefit greatly from hiring a specialty search firm to direct the process.
Scout Exchange research has shown that 91 percent of placements come from specialty recruiters and that most employers need a better way to quickly connect with the right recruiters for their openings. If you’re still using a generic recruiting firm – or are trying to handle it on your own – it’s worth spending a little extra money to hire a firm that has the right connections.
2. Screen candidates ASAP
A lot of businesses publicize a job opening for a period of time – perhaps 30, 45, or 60 days – gather as many applications as possible, and then begin the process of reviewing applications. The problem with this approach is that you’re wasting weeks of time on the front end. Then, you’re dealing with hundreds of applications on the backside. The result is a process that takes way longer than it should.
You should adopt an approach where you screen as you go. As soon as an application comes in, you should review their information, conduct a background check, and do your due diligence. This allows you to immediately weed out unqualified people and create a list of target candidates.
3. Constantly be networking
Networking for candidates isn’t something you can just decide to do when an opening emerges. You need to be invested in networking year-round so that you always have a handful of people on your radar. This obviously requires more time on a weekly basis, but it’ll allow you to shortcut the initial stages of the talent acquisition process when openings do emerge.
4. Don’t waste time trimming your list
A lot of companies will avoid trimming their list of candidates before the interview round – or they’ll host multiple interview rounds to narrow down their list. Here’s a good piece of advice: Don’t waste time trimming your list. Only bring in a few people who you feel are qualified and interview them. If you feel like you’ve found the right person, hire them on the spot. There’s no sense in delaying the inevitable.
Businesses that spend months trying to fill a job opening have very little understanding of how the talent acquisition process works. Their misconceptions about the process lead to wasted money, time, and resources. While it may seem impossible at first, you can fill job openings with the right candidates rather quickly. But it’s important that you know exactly who you’re looking for and how to proceed.
While the tips in this article may not provide a comprehensive solution for all of your talent acquisition needs, they can speed up the process and result in better hires that benefit growing companies in the long run.
About the author: Larry Alton is an independent business consultant specializing in social media trends, business, and entrepreneurship. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.
