Finding the right employee at the right time can be challenging. Hiring and training a new employee in the United States now costs around $4,000, meaning recruiting the wrong person can be a costly mistake.
Here are five steps to finding the right employee quickly and efficiently.
1. Plan Out the Process
Before you start asking yourself, “how long does a background check take?,” put together a plan for the process, including deadlines. Allow plenty of time for each stage.
2. Create the Perfect Job Description
Attracting the right candidate starts with the right job description. A poorly worded description can easily turn off potential applicants, so it's vital to get this bit right.
You can do this by addressing the candidate directly in the description, using a clear job title, clarifying the role's responsibilities, highlighting meaningful benefits, and writing an honest blurb about the company.
3. Spread the Word
Once you have a suitable description, the next step is to get it out into places where the best candidates are likely to see it.
Large companies often use dedicated recruitment agencies to fill the most important roles, but placing advertisements on Linkedin, social media platforms, newspapers, specialized literature, and websites such as Indeed, can be effective. Spread the word!
4. Interview Properly
Once the applications start rolling in, avoid jumping at the first candidate you deem acceptable. Instead, wait at least a week to get a broad range of applicants.
Next comes the interview stage! Try to put every candidate at ease immediately and ask open-ended questions. Listen more and talk less while taking plenty of notes so that you can refer back to them when choosing a candidate.
Also, ensure that you've done your research on an applicant before they come through the door. This will not only save time but add a degree of professionalism rather than scrambling around trying to read a resume during the interview.
5. Background Checks & Choosing the Right Candidate
While choosing the right employee can be easy, it can also be a difficult decision that takes hours of consideration. Don't get frustrated and jump too quickly if it is the latter. Work through the shortlist until you come to a conclusion that you're happy with as a company and team.
The final step in finding the perfect employee is ensuring there's nothing untoward in their background check. Some screenings take just a few days, while others can stretch to several weeks, but knowing that you've made the right choice is worth the wait.
Conclusion
Finding the perfect employee for your company can be a slow and frustrating process, with many businesses jumping too quickly and needing to start everything over when it doesn't work out. However, this often comes down to a flawed hiring process.
We may desire instant results, but in reality, it can take weeks, even months, to find the right person for the job. To give yourself the best opportunity to succeed the first time around, take your time, and work through the five steps mentioned above. That perfect person is out there - it's just a matter of finding them. Best of luck!