The hiring process can be a long and arduous one, but it is essential to any business looking to grow and succeed – especially start-ups. However, taking too long to move through interviews can lead to losing top talent to competitors. At Work Friendly, we’ve seen this problem plague clients firsthand but with coaching and industry insight, we’ve helped organizations revamp their talent acquisition process to be more effective overall.
Here are a few housekeeping tips that every hiring team should adhere to:
Be Proactive with Communication
Over-communicating during the hiring process may seem like overkill, but it is essential to ensure clear communication between all parties involved. Candidates appreciate timely updates and transparency during the hiring process. When you keep candidates informed, they feel valued, and you can quickly move through the interview process. We recommend weekly touchpoints with all stakeholders involved in the hiring process.
Know Your Ideal Candidate
Knowing what you are looking for in the ideal candidate will help you efficiently move through interviews. Highly recommend hiring for skills fit, growth mindset, and values alignment. Preparing for the interview process involves reviewing resumes and applications, preparing to ask the right interview questions, and looking for personality traits that will fit within the company. Understanding your ideal candidate will also help you narrow down your pool of candidates faster.
Have Screening Questions Prepared
Having screening questions prepared for each phase of the hiring process can help speed up the interview process. Different interviewers can ask and record candidate responses at different stages. We recommend a typical 3 step process for most clients we support, in which Work Friendly sources and screens applicants, then completes a meet & greet via phone or video call, followed by the hiring manager interview. The final interview may include panel interviews, culture fit, or skills assessment, depending on the client.
Inform Candidates of Next Steps
Informing candidates when they can expect to hear back regarding next steps and who will be reaching out can help keep them engaged and excited about the opportunity. Be transparent throughout the interview process. You can use email templates or create general responses to have as a guide. You can also use an ATS (Applicant Tracking System), Google email (enabling templates in settings), or copy/paste from a Google Doc to LinkedIn or Indeed messages with candidates.
Moving through interviews efficiently is an essential part of hiring. By being proactive with communication, knowing your ideal candidate, having screening questions prepared, and informing candidates of next steps, you can speed up the interview process while keeping candidates engaged and informed. Remember to communicate frequently with all stakeholders involved in the hiring process and keep an open and transparent line of communication between the company and candidates. By implementing these tips, you can ensure a smooth and efficient hiring process while staying relevant and not losing valuable talent. Ready to revamp your process? Work Friendly tackles topics like these and so much more, to explore our services and offerings reach out here.
What happens if a hiring decision is taking longer than usual? The Work Friendly standard is that candidates, regardless of where they are in the interview process pipeline, should be treated with respect. We recommend catching up on this blog, where we discuss how to keep in touch with potential employees and use downtime productively during a lengthy hiring process.
Meet the Author
Julie Blomsterberg is an experienced leader in people operations and human resources, bringing with her 17 years of expertise in recruiting and HR. Always looking for ways to support her clients with strategic initiatives, change management, employee experience and technology solutions, Julie knows how to take a problem and find the solution. With passion for people, she knows that HR creates meaningful differences for employees and employers.
