Assess Your Needs

Consult with the hiring manager(s) to ensure that everyone involved in the process is aligned and understands your expectations.

In the case of a newly created role, it is especially important to know exactly what you are looking for and why this position exists. Take a moment to consider what this role exactly entails and what the job requirements and essential skills are.

When replacing someone, you need to consider what they brought to the table that is needed in this role again, as well as what skill gaps there might have been, that you are looking to fill.

Is this position best suited to a certain type of candidate?

Consider what experience, skills, and qualifications are necessary for this position. As well as the essential skills, identify the most ideal ‘soft skills for this role, such as communication abilities or resilience. You should also take into account the attributes and skills that you or your company are able to teach a prospective employee.

You can post jobs by creating an ad

Posting job ads on relevant job boards are usually the best way to find the right candidates.

Think about who you want to attract and what your role is. You might not have thought about specific job boards for your industry – an industry-specific body may have a careers page.

 You might find qualified candidates using social media, such as in a difficult-to-find area where many communities have local Facebook groups.

Sourcing methods that are alternative

You may not be able to find qualified candidates in the market depending on the type of position you are looking to fill. Passive networking may be your best bet. Consider these suggestions:

• References. See if your organization has any employees with a similar skillset who could recommend someone for the position
• Search databases. Consider conducting a database search to see if a candidate has applied for a similar role before. Those skills might have been too junior back then, but they have just the level you need today
• LinkedIn Recruiter can be accessed here. If you are looking for candidates with the right skill set, LinkedIn Recruiter is an excellent tool. By narrowing your talent pool with specific keywords previously identified by hiring managers, you’ll be able to reach a wider audience. However, keep in mind that not all of them are actively seeking work. Asking for referrals is always a good idea, even if they are not actively looking for a new job at this moment. Perhaps they know someone in their network with similar skills who are.
• Communication. Meet talent in a particular field that you are hiring for by attending networking events

Review of CVs/Screening of applications

Good CVs are concise, well-structured, and easy to read. They must be tailored to the job description, of course. Pay attention to the keywords you have previously identified.

Consider “achievements” – responsibilities for certain roles can be similar, and these achievements may help an applicant tracking system stand out. See what value they can add to your team and business based on what they bring to the table

• Misspelled words and grammatical errors. It is indicative of their future performance in the role and demonstrates a lack of attention to detail.
• CVs that jump around. Candidate tenure that is too short could indicate they have not passed probation. After spending time and energy to train them, an abundance of contracts might cause the candidate to leave your organization quickly.
• CVs and profiles (on LinkedIn, for example) differ from one another. Take a quick look at a candidate’s CV and profile to see if they are compatible. The two shouldn’t differ significantly.
• Candidates with highly overqualified skills. Most likely, these candidates are not committed to the role and may not stay for long in your organization.
• Professionalism is lacking. It is a good indicator of their work ethic and how they will perform their role in the organization if their CV is sloppy

Interviewing candidates who are relevant

The interview process can vary according to the role and your needs. To ensure that you are able to objectively compare your candidates for the role and your team, you must also establish and follow the interview process structure, as well as ask each candidate the same interview questions.

We recommend doing an initial phone screen to discuss non-negotiables like salary expectations, degree requirements, visa restrictions, notice periods, office hours, and office location. Also, find out if they have any annual leave booked in the next six months (or extended leave in the next 12 months), as this may have an impact on their hiring decision.

Furthermore, you should determine whether they are active on the market and for how long. The last thing you want is for the candidate to reject your job offer to take another one. The speed of your hiring process may also be affected by this.

The interview panel should be identified

When hiring new employees, conducting interviews is a crucial step. You need to ensure that the interview panel includes the right people and that you can obtain the information you need from the candidates.

Overcrowding the interview is not recommended. A three-to-one ratio of interviewers to interviewees.

If you have an in-house HR team, consider creating a panel that includes the hiring manager and the HR representative – to be able to answer any questions the interviewee may have.

Interviews are two-way processes. Both you and the candidate are interviewing and vetting each other to determine if you are the right fit for each other. You should discuss with the candidate you will interview what the interview process will entail, how many stages the interview process will entail, and who will take part in the interview process.

Process for Interviewing

Especially if you are conducting a face-to-face interview, make sure you are in a quiet area of the office. A candidate may find an interview quite stressful, so prepare them for success by allowing them to concentrate fully on the interview without distractions

During the interview, start out by asking how the first interview went if they have any questions from the first interview, or what they know about the organization so far.

You should ask open-ended questions that are as specific as possible to the person in front of you. You might want to ask behavioral questions as a secondary line of questioning. Consider their previous responses and ask them a follow-up question based on the information you found relevant.

Verification of references

You need to conduct references checks as part of the recruitment process to ensure you are hiring capable and reliable employees.

References can be contacted via email or by phone. Questions about their strengths and weaknesses, performance, the reason they left, and if they would hire them again should be asked. Additionally, make sure the dates on the CV match the dates on the reference.

Depending on your organization’s needs, you may also need to conduct further background checks.

Providing post-offer care

It could be a month or longer until the candidate starts working for your organization, depending on the length of the notice period. Engage and excite them throughout the process. You will be working with them for years to come.

To keep the candidate engaged, you can do many small things:

• Your hiring manager and any potential new teammates should send them LinkedIn invitations welcoming them to the team
• If the offer has been extended, follow up with an email 1-2 weeks later to ensure everything has been signed and any questions have been answered
• Include links to your company’s social media accounts so they can follow you
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Providing an offer

When you have identified the best candidate for your team, it is time to hire them.  Avoid surprises when you hire.

Make a call to the candidate and ask them about the process. Assess their interest in the role and determine where they stand with other potential interviews.

After answering all the questions and feeling comfortable with the candidate’s candidacy, extend a verbal offer. You should also confirm their salary and their start date – make sure to ask for their verbal acceptance.

Outline the next steps and explain when they can expect to receive the written Letter of Offer. Send a follow-up email that summarizes everything you talked about.