The start of Spring is a great opportunity to refresh our approach to different tasks – in our personal and professional lives. Taking a closer look at your recruitment process is no different. 

Hiring is a tricky business. From getting buy-in from leadership for your additional resource, to putting together a job description, then reviewing applications and interviewing, the entire process can be overwhelming. It could also be one of the most important decisions you need to make at your organization. Maybe you have had an open role on your team for several months and just aren’t getting the right candidates through the door. Perhaps you recently brought on a new team member that didn’t work out. Whatever your reason for refocusing your strategy, there are a few ways to inject fresh energy into your search:

• Get specific: the team member you’re looking for is out there, they just need the opportunity to match their experience with your needs. By narrowing down your needs to specific skills, attributes and technical knowledge, you will drastically increase your chances of identifying the right candidate. Whether it’s specific subject matter knowledge or deep knowledge of a particular program, to having created new processes to address a workplace challenge, be sure to include these in your job description. 

• Keep an open mind: particularly in a climate where many professionals have their pick of employers and opportunities, being open to expanding your search to types of candidates you may not have considered. While they may not have years of experience under their belt, new graduates can provide a fresh perspective to workplace challenges and are more likely to stay – and grow – at your organization. Someone who may not have specialist knowledge in a particular program your team uses may be able to demonstrate their capacity to learn new tools fast if they have experience in different sectors. By considering candidates who show a lot of enthusiasm and willingness to learn, you may discover your most loyal talent.

• Diversify your interviewers: expanding your interview panel beyond the most obvious members – including the hiring manager and HR team member – you may uncover traits in your new team member that you had not considered. Perhaps the candidate you’re looking for needs to help with employee events, and there’s someone on your team who has been working behind the scenes doing just that while you’re looking for a new colleague. Their perspective is likely to be invaluable to your search as they will know exactly what it takes to be successful in this task. Having a diverse interview panel has also been proven to reduce bias and assure candidates are selected based on their ability to fulfill the needs of the role.

• Focus on behaviors: while no screening process is perfect, there are ways you can assess a candidate’s attitude to their work; arguably one of the most important attributes of any effective member of your team. Rather than asking what project management tools they have used in the past for example, ask them to share an occasion where they had a lot of competing priorities, and how they determined which to address first, and how they kept track of their tasks. Their answer to behavioral questions like these will give you an insight into how they dealt with a large volume of demands on their time in the past, while providing an opportunity for you to see how they approach challenges; were they unflappable and composed when answering this question? Or did they show signs of notable discomfort at needing to field multiple requests?  

Taking on board these recommended steps will re-energize your hiring team to focus on the most important aspects of your search – and find your ideal colleague. At The Hire Standard, we combine our deep knowledge of the hiring landscape and the needs of our specialist areas to provide a white glove service to our clients. All you have to do is tell us what you need from your new team member and we’ll handle the rest. Our tried and tested approach has allowed us to place individuals – from Executive Assistants to Customer Service Representatives – at hundreds of firms. We will support you throughout the entire process, from initial conversation to placement. You can expect to have a new team member adding value to your company in just six weeks. Learn more about what we offer here.