Have you ever found yourself in a position where you have needed to recruit in a hurry?
Talk about pressure!
Despite the best planning and intentions, ‘stuff happens’ and as a manager we can sometimes find ourselves feeling ‘under the pump’ to fill a position as quickly as possible.
At the back of our mind, we know the truth in the saying ‘hire slow, fire fast’ but with a surprise resignation letter sitting on our desk, or knowing that the busiest time of the year is just around the corner, or that you just can’t procrastinate any longer about taking on that extra person – you can suddenly find yourself needing to act now.
How do you hire and get the best result, as quickly and as cost effectively as possible?
Here are my 5 top tips for anyone who finds themselves needing to hire in a hurry:
1. Know what you need
There’s no point heading down the recruitment campaign trail if you don’t know what you and the business are really looking for. And it can’t be some airy fairy, imaginary, out of this world type of role that, in reality, will prove impossible to fill.
Be realistic. Once you’ve figured out exactly what you need – put it in writing – in the format of a written job description. Neither you nor your recruiter should do one ounce of work on the role until the job description is clearly defined.
2. Research – know your market
Many times when I’ve set out to recruit for a client I’ve had to give them a harsh reality check in terms of salary expectations and candidate availability.
To avoid wasting time, choose an experienced, specialist recruiter to work with, one who knows your industry (as well as their own!) in order to increase the chances of a quick, satisfactory hiring outcome.
3. Write a compelling job advertisement
Make your role stand out from the rest. Always put yourself in the shoes of the candidate and ask yourself WIIFM – What’s In It For Me? If you were reading the ad – would you apply for your role?
I’ve written previously about how to use your job ad to attract the best candidates.
Remember to stop thinking that you can simply post an ad online and your work is done, because it isn’t. You have to start thinking like an online marketer, because that’s what you are. You’re competing for attention for your vacancy just like any company competes for visibility for its products and services.
A well written job ad can make or break your recruitment process.
4. Be prepared to move fast
Set yourself up to respond quickly to great applicants. In a candidate short market – applicants typically will apply online to multiple roles at once.
If you’re going to have any chance to secure the best candidate you firstly need to have the resources to reply and start the screening process … pronto, or you’ll miss out!
Consider using video interview technology to screen candidates quickly and fast track the whole short listing process.
Oh, and make sure that the key decision maker who needs to meet the short listed candidates for 2nd round interviews, or sign off on their job offer, is not on an overseas holiday or out of town on a conference during that critical week when you need to make an offer.
5. No short cuts
Let’s face it, we know that if something looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Despite feeling the pressure to make a job offer on the spot to what looks like the ideal candidate – do your due diligence.
Don’t let a desperate internal HR officer or a smooth talking recruiter (who unfortunately often only has their best interest in mind – not yours or the candidate’s) talk you into making a rushed decision.
Follow the process. (You should only be working with a recruiter who has a process!) Ask yourself – have reference checks been completed, do you have copies of qualifications, certificates, academic transcripts etc?
Making the right recruitment decision is all about risk management and having a clear process to follow. Business owners can save lots of time, money and headaches by working with professional recruitment consultants.
Get to know one as soon as possible!
Tamara Blythman is the Founder of Pinstripe Recruitment and a Sydney-based RecruitLoop ‘Guru’.
Author
Bernadette Eichner
Bernadette Eichner has had a successful career in hospitality sales, real estate, and recruitment. In 1999, she founded HRM Resolutions, a strategic human resource consultancy, and later became a founding recruiter and investor at RecruitLoop.
