Seven ways to create a stand-out recruitment experience

Recruiting top talent can be challenging, but it is also an essential part of developing your business and meeting its long-term goals.

Improving the way you hire will not only maintain the smooth operation of your business, but also ensure you attract the best talent on the market.

To help you hire more effectively, we’ve collected our top tips on how to create a stand-out recruitment process.

Write a strong job description

It is important to think about why an applicant clicks on the ‘apply’ button.  The ideal job description should do two things.  One, is to clearly explain the role.  Second, is to set it apart from the crowd.  Be sure to remember to use language that will be familiar to your applicants.  

Take advantage of technology

While not an end all solution to the issues that can arise in the hiring process, technology can be very effective in improving the experience for applicants.  It is best applied in in areas that promote convenience, such as constructing a smooth mobile experience, online interview scheduling, etc.   

Screen effectively

The screening process is very important in recruiting.  However, the methods that should be employed vary greatly depending on the industry, company, and location.  Recruiters will have to adjust their strategies depending on market conditions.  For instance, a recruiter struggling to find the perfect candidate in a small pool of applicants may want to select on potential rather than candidates’ current skillsets.  However, a recruiter working with a large pool of applicants may want to consider using AI and chatbot technology to aid in isolating the best applicants in the shortest amount of time.   

Make sure it’s impartial

Technology can even improve the impartiality of the hiring process.  Even the best recruiters are vulnerable to unconscious biases which can prevent them from picking the best candidates.  Using technology to do things such as hiding names and hiding gender can do a lot to raise the merit-based aspect of the hiring process.  

Keep candidates up-to-date

It is important not to make a candidate feel they have been forgotten at any point of the hiring process.  Large companies may elect to use a candidate portal to keep candidates up-to-date.  However, smaller companies may do fine with just providing updates by telephone or e-mail.

Don’t keep candidates waiting

It can be problematic when recruitment staff spend an excessive amount of time in making a hiring decision. Generally, three interviews should be enough to make an informed hiring decision.  Wasting time on making a decision not only gives candidate a good chance to move on to other prospects, it can make a candidate feel that the company does not respect them or their time.  It is recommended that after a final interview, recruitment staff should notify candidates of their decision within four days. 

Find the right recruiter

A good recruiter can do a great deal to improve the hiring process by providing expertise in the industry they are recruiting for.  In addition, a strong recruiter may be able to access higher quality candidates who are generally less responsive to normal job adverts.  If an effective recruiter is in place the hiring manager will only meet suitable candidates.