When I have asked managers and leaders how important hiring the right person with the right acumen in the right position is for their organization, most will strongly agree “it is imperative.”
When I have asked those same individuals about their hiring process, a common answers I have heard is “I hate hiring new people.” “It takes too long.” “There are no good candidate out there.”
While all those answers might have merit on the surface, let us dissect each more closely.
If on one hand we admit recruitment and staffing is imperative, should this be something you hate doing?
Should you expect an amazing result doing something you hate?
If the process takes too long, is that due to the candidate or your own internal process?
Some internal processes I have experienced and heard of constitute 5 or 6 rounds of interviews, ouch.
I personally don’t know of any recruitment best practice that mandates 6 rounds of interviews unless you are looking for a Unicorn.
FYI, Unicorns don't exist.
And, if you truly believe there are no good candidate out there, might this mindset impact or influence your hiring process in a negative way?
I have seen this in practice whereby the recruiter is quick to identify all that the candidate is lacking versus how they think they might be able to contribute.
How would that mindset benefit your recruitment efforts?
I have often said that the success of the staff will dictate the success of the organization and of the leadership.
To this end, to me, recruitment is perhaps the single most important element within any organization.
Imagine I told you that I utterly enjoy the recruitment process.
I endeavor to make if take the least amount of time as possible in consideration of the applicant perspective.
Moreover, I always take time out of my schedule to ensure I have time for recruitment and subsequent onboarding and training.
And, I believe there are amazing candidates out there and I always asking managers what their dream candidates look like because I know they exist even if they are not Unicorns.
Does this approach sound like one that might garner better results than the latter?
If recruitment is important, it is imperative you take time to devote to recruitment.
Be efficient and don’t rush it, yet don’t be afraid of making a hire decision.
Proper training, realistic objectives performance measures, regular feedback in both directions and a formal review should mitigate your decision-making fear.
That said, an important lesson I have learned is never to hire out of desperation and candidate availability. The times I have been guilty of doing this, I have regretted it each time.
If your existing recruitment strategy is not enjoyable, takes too long, does not factor for dream candidates, ask yourself what can you do to change that?
Revise the job description.
Create a candidate profile to factor for a dream candidate.
Change the interview questions or suggest change to the recruitment manager.
Get two perspectives per each interview.
Set realistic objectives at the interview or even list them in the job posting.
Ensure the candidate will have a chance to learn and grow in the role.
Get references in advance.
Devote more time to training and onboarding by10X than you did in the hiring process.
Full feedback and give feedback.
If you don’t have the ability to influence the change directly, can you influence others who have the power?
If you are experiencing recruitment pains, seek some remedies, act; there is more you can do about it than you realize; see list above.
Be in recruitment pain no more.