When you’re looking to hire a new employee, you want to make sure you handle the process right the first time. Otherwise, you may find yourself heading back to the drawing board much faster than you originally intended. To help you manage the task of finding a new person to join your team, here are five steps you need to follow.
1. Determine What You Actually Need
Even if you a refilling a position, it is important to review the job to determine exactly what skills a candidate needs to bring to the table. Review the assigned duties associated with the position and examine the larger team for any skill gaps that a new worker could fill. Then, begin creating a job announcement that reflects your hiring priorities and what truly defines an ideal applicant.
2. Find Candidates
Once you have an accurate job description and engaging ad, it’s time to start finding potential candidates. This can be as simple as listing the opening on relevant job boards and local classified ads or contacting a reputable staffing company to manage the search for you. The goal is to reach the widest set of qualified job seekers, so choose options that will best meet those needs.
3. Manage the Interviews
After you’ve received some quality applications or resumes, you can start scheduling and conducting interviews. Begin by contacting job seekers with the most potential based on your chosen criteria and scheduling meeting times. Then, craft your interview questions to ensure you get any additional information you require that might not be easy to glean from a resume.
When you conduct each interview, make sure you allot enough time to really get a picture of what they have to offer and their workplace personality. If you choose to pursue them for the position, they could be with your company for a long time, so don’t be afraid to be thorough.
4. Conduct Background and Reference Checks
No matter how good a person comes off during an interview, it is always smart to contact their references and do an appropriate background check based on the position. Understand the candidate’s references were chosen for a reason, so they will likely be somewhat biased. Use in-depth questions to get a clear picture of the person’s strengths and weaknesses and, just like with interviews, don’t feel pressured to rush through the process.
In many cases, staffing companies can manage the background and reference checks for you. This can be ideal when you need the process handled properly but don’t necessarily have the time to manage it yourself.
5. Close the Deal
If you’ve pinpointed your ideal candidate, now is the time to make an official offer. You can start by speaking with them over the phone and then sending out a formal letter outlining the details. Be prepared to negotiate the terms with them, and work to find a suitable settling point before sending the finalized offer letter and getting their official acceptance.
Once the proposal is approved, you’re done with the hard part, and you can look forward to having a great employee come onboard soon.
If you would prefer to work with a professional staffing firm to alleviate the strain of hiring new team members, the team at TempStaff has the experience to get the job done right the first time. Contact us to talk about your hiring needs with one of our recruitment specialists today.
