Truthfully, most of the time, the recruitment process is long, and it can be tedious. However, while recruitment campaigns can take a lot of time and energy, they are worth it because it is important that you find the right candidate to fill the role. The success of your recruitment processes does speak directly to the success of your business, after all. When it comes to perfecting your recruitment process, it might seem like a challenge, but it is actually pretty straightforward. This is precisely why we have put together the following tips for you. Let’s take a look.

Initial Research

Once you have discovered the need for a recruitment campaign, one of the first things that you will need to do is to conduct some research. Think about where you want to advertise. Depending on the role and the industry within which your business operates, you might choose to advertise online on job sites or social media; there are also trade publications or even physical adverts within the premises itself. Once you have an idea where you are going to advertise the role, you can start to look up other similar adverts. Online ads tend to tell you a rough ballpark figure for how many applicants the role has had, which can tell you how successful it has been when reaching the right candidates. It may also be helpful to see the salary expectations for the role. Think about what these ads have in common and how you can emulate these features. The title is often key to ensuring that you have grabbed the attention of potential candidates; you are also likely to have found a few keywords that keep appearing too.

The Ad

Obviously, any recruitment process really starts to gather steam with the creation of a job advert. In order to craft a great job ad, there are a few things that you should include. A good job ad needs to be titled and categorised correctly. It will also need to provide a background on the business, try to hit key points as well as include information on why a successful candidate will enjoy working for you. You will need to list your salary expectations for the role but bear in mind that some candidates might want to negotiate. It might be beneficial to list a range of what you expect to pay to successful applicants depending on their experience.

Obviously, a great job description is also important. It will need to outline the job duties and responsibilities as well as provide information on where the role sits in terms of the hierarchy of the business and who a successful candidate will be expected to answer to. Try not to get bogged down in the details, be descriptive but brief; during the interview process you can go into more detail with the shortlisted candidates. If you are struggling to write this job description, then it might be beneficial to look up examples from businesses like Hiring People. Lastly, you will also need to include a personal specification. What traits, skills, qualifications, training and experience does a candidate need to have? You will appeal to a wider group of applicants if you list essential and desirable criteria. Think about what is non-negotiable and where you have wiggle room.

Is it Worth Asking for a Cover Letter?

Truthfully, this is a hard question to answer because it depends entirely on your business and what you are looking for from a candidate. Asking for cover letters in addition to an application or the submission of a CV is becoming more popular. However, they are not always necessary because most applicants tend to simply rewrite their CVs to transform them into cover letters. If you want one, it might be worth detailing your requirements in the job ad and requesting specific information. That being said, asking for a personalised cover letter could put off some would-be applicants who do not have the time or inclination to write one. Although, this might not be a great loss depending on the role because it does tend to indicate a lack of interest and dedication on their part.

The Interview

Successful applicants are then shortlisted and offered an interview. Think about your current interview processes. Traditionally, interviews used to be done in person; however, more and more businesses are doing remote or video interviews, especially during the initial shortlisting process. This might be advisable depending on how busy your hiring managers are. During the interview, you need to get a feel for the person both professionally and personally in order to ascertain whether or not they will be a good fit not just for the role but for the people they will be working with too.

In Summary

A successful business owes its success to the hard work of its employees, which is why refining your recruitment process is important to ensure that you are always attracting the best candidates and finding the best possible person for the role. The above advice can really help you to shine a light on your current recruitment processes to work out where you can improve them.