Through the duration of a job search, job seekers might often wonder what a hiring process is like and how it differs from company to company and manager to manager.
From the outside, the process of hiring seems somewhat simple with going through resumes and then conducting interviews with the selected candidates. What is not often realized, however, is just how many factors need to be considered when hiring new employees.
Recruitment and hiring encompass many steps. They include, but are not limited to, identifying the vacant position and how soon it needs to be filled, writing a job description to be uploaded onto job search websites, putting together a hiring team, going through resumes, testing skills, pre-screening candidates, conducting interviews, and using metrics to make the hiring decision.
Let’s go through a few factors to the hiring process that you may not know.
1. Needing to Fill Positions Quickly
Sometimes positions need to be filled as soon as possible, and the new employee is expected to be able to pick up right where the last employee left off. It is to ensure that the productivity level of the company stays strong. This is not always easy to do though, so managers would look for people with a sufficient amount of experience who would be able to catch up quickly. An option managers would consider in this situation is to hire temporary workers.
This is where the help of a staffing agency is often enlisted for additional support during the hiring process.
2. Crafting an Effective Job Ad
There’s a lot of thought that should go into writing an appropriate job ad for a vacant position. It is often said that the more detail an ad contains, the better—especially with work responsibilities, required skills, and company information.
Crafting an effective job description requires significant thought and often several drafts to ensure qualified candidates apply.
3. Looking for Certain Skills
If the job calls for it, hiring managers will look only for certain skills that would be most suitable for the available position. Especially with short-term contracts or positions where employees are hired to aid in certain projects or assignments, managers will really narrow down the talent pool to candidates who can jump right into the role.
4. Knowing Where to Search
Some companies rely solely on job boards for recruiting applicants. Others, however, conduct their own searches for passive candidates as well. This can often create a more qualified pool of candidates. There are a variety of search fields for managers to utilize when looking for talent. This includes using their own connections as well as social platforms.
This is again another aspect to hiring where recruiting a staffing agency can greatly benefit a company. Recruitment firms have expansive networks.
5. Hiring Based on Consistency
Hiring managers keep note of how candidates act through the duration of a hiring process, from how resumes and cover letters are written to how candidates perform during and after an interview.
If there is any disconnect between what is on a resume and what is conveyed in person, managers could pick up on it. They do pay attention to the little details, so consistency is key. To you job seekers, it is important to be truthful on paper as well as during interviews.
Understanding these factors of the hiring process can help you improve your job search.