Employment

The Complexity of Recruitment: Tips and Tricks to Hire the Right Candidates for Your Company

The key to a successful company is the competence and productivity of its workforce. While some organizations have realized the need to prioritize merit over friendship and relationships in their hiring process, getting the right candidate for a job has remained challenging for every firm.

Companies are hiring more than ever, making it challenging for many to keep their best talents. Most people who took a new job were not searching for one; headhunters found them.

Despite the use of applicant-tracking software to sift through applications for keywords hiring managers want to see and the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI), experts believe less than one-third of companies get their recruitment right.

Why is recruitment complex?

Recruiting the best talent is tough. Finding the right candidate in a pool of unqualified talents is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

You may find someone who can do the job but may not be the best fit. This is due to several reasons, including:

Shrinking talent pool

The aging workforce and the Great Resignation have created a shortage of qualified candidates in many industries, making it difficult for recruiters to find and hire qualified candidates.

The Great Resignation is a recent economic trend in which many employees have voluntarily quit their jobs. It began in early 2021 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the most cited reasons for quitting include low wages, lack of advancement opportunities, and poor work-life balance. Hospitality, healthcare, and education workers have been most likely to resign.

Fierce competition

Companies compete for the same candidates, so creating a competitive employer brand and offering attractive compensation and benefits packages is essential.

When you think about employer branding or how you communicate your company’s culture to attract, engage, and retain talent, it’s important to be genuine. Candidates can spot inauthenticity from a mile away. They’re talking to their networks to get the real scoop on what your company is like to work for.

Complex hiring process

There are many steps involved in the hiring process, from sourcing candidates to screening resumes, conducting interviews, and making an offer.

Each step needs to be done carefully to ensure that the company is hiring the best possible person for the job.

Need to hire specialized roles

Finding candidates with the right skills and experience for specialized roles can be difficult in some industries.

This can require recruiters to expand their search beyond traditional channels and use creative sourcing strategies.

Remote workforce

The rise of remote work has created new challenges for recruiters. They need to find candidates who are comfortable working remotely and have the necessary skills and equipment to succeed.

Tips and tricks to hire the right candidates for your company

Recruitment is only complex but not complicated if done right. These tips and tricks can help you sift through multiple applicants and hire the right person for a role:

Conduct psychometric test

Psychometric test measures job applicants’ mental capabilities and behavioral style. The test assesses individuals’ cognitive abilities and knowledge related to the role and personality.

Generally, this test is divided into two: personality tests and aptitude tests. Personality tests assess applicants’ interests, values, and motivations and how they align with the role and organization. It also examines their emotions, behaviors, and relationships in various settings.

It is used in recruitment as part of a robust selection process to identify candidates suitable for a job role and their team fit.

On the other hand, aptitude tests measure reasoning and cognitive abilities to determine if prospective employees have the skills needed for the role.

Under timed exam conditions, the candidates are typically given one minute to answer each multiple-choice question. Their intelligence levels are compared to a benchmark, meaning they must achieve a specific score to pass.

However, it is recommended that psychometrics be used with caution and not a sole determiner in your selection process.

The psychometric test development process is also vital as it will play a significant role in its effectiveness, especially if it needs to be presented in different languages, such as in the case of multinational organizations.

Improve your employer’s branding

A strong employer brand can help you attract and hire top talents. It is what an organization communicates to both potential and current employees about its unique identity.

Employer branding encompasses your organization’s mission, values, culture, and personality.

Companies that invest in employer branding are three times more likely to make a quality hire.

However, employer branding is a complex process. It is beyond promoting your culture on social media. It is an ongoing, collaborative effort that may require you to step outside your comfort zone.

One way to improve your recruiting brand is by encouraging your workers to tell their stories about their work and what they like about the company through blogs and videos.

Meanwhile, they should not be coerced into doing this and not incentivized to say things that are not true. You do not need to beg for good reviews as a good employer. Falsifying your reputation will only result in a high turnover, which can be more expensive and damaging for your employer’s brand.

Evaluate applicants based on skillset, not work history

Evaluating employees and new hires based on their skills rather than their work history can create a more equitable and inclusive workplace and help companies identify and develop their top talent.

This approach can also lead to more effective hiring, focusing on the skills and abilities most relevant to the job.

This can start from the job post, whereby you focus on the results you would like to see in the job descriptions rather than prioritizing qualifications.

Focusing on skills can help increase your talent pool and also enable you to pinpoint quality applicants for hard-to-fill roles.

Moneyball approach to recruiting

The collective efforts of a company’s employees are responsible for its success. However, many companies make the mistake of scrutinizing new hires based on the skill set of their present employees.

While it is crucial for all employees to be a team player and also be able to contribute to the overall success of the company, special skills are still required.

When screening candidates, watch out for those with unique abilities different from what you already possess in your firm. This is referred to as the Moneyball approach to recruiting.

Focus on how the new hires could contribute to the team in a narrower dimension.

Positive candidate experience

A positive candidate experience is essential for a stronger employer brand and to attract top talents.

First impressions matter. Just as companies evaluate candidates, candidates also assess companies. If a candidate has a negative experience, they are less likely to apply for a job at your company in the future, and they may even share their negative experience with others.

A good experience can help turn a candidate into an employee and bolster your brand’s reputation to attract the right candidates for future roles.

If you have any questions, please ask below!