The 7 Recruitment Process Steps to Attract and Hire Top Candidates

There is a global talent shortage, and one of the few ways organizations are solving this problem is by changing their recruitment and hiring strategy and employing a recruitment process. 

A recruitment process aims to provide the company with qualified applicants. You should revamp your talent acquisition strategy and appeal to more candidates to reduce turnover rate, time to hire, and other essential HR metrics. It is ideal to have a recruitment process before posting job ads, so this article will cover 7 steps to guide you in attracting and hiring top talents for your company.

These steps include;

• Identify the company’s hiring needs

The first step in the recruitment process is identifying what the company needs. This stage identifies gaps and determines your next step. Assess current openings and the right choice for the role. Can you hire from within the company? Is the workload unreasonable? Do you need to restructure the role and split the responsibilities? Due diligence will help evaluate existing employees’ skills, the hiring budget, and how best to tackle new vacancies.

Identifying the hiring needs also presents a clear picture of the ideal candidate and the necessary knowledge and skills to thrive in the role. Setting up a profile for the ideal candidate will shape the other stages in the recruitment process, such as how to source talents and how to phrase the job description.

• Write a compelling job description

The world does not need another run-of-the-mill job description. The job description should be creative and compelling with relevant information which will appeal to your ideal candidate. The job title should be specific with the responsibilities for the role spelt out, along with required skills, qualifications, and other skills that will be nice to have as an added advantage. The job description should include the location of the role.

The company’s name, description and, information about the company’s mission and reputation are vital and can improve the chance of a candidate applying, as 75% of candidates will research a company’s reputation before applying for a job opening. 

Remuneration and benefits are an essential aspect of the job ad, as 67% of people in a survey by Glassdoor reported salaries as one of the top factors they looked for in job ads. Survey respondents also stated that attractive benefits and perks such as remote or hybrid work setup, paid time off, or health insurance also influence their decision to apply for a job. 

• Source for talents

A sourcing strategy focuses on searching for and reaching candidates internally or externally. 

Sourcing internally focuses on employees already in the company via transfer or promotion. Employees can also refer candidates by leveraging their network and acting as ambassadors of the employer brand, providing first-hand details of their experience to potential employees. The company can offer referral bonuses to employees as incentives to refer top talents.

Sourcing for candidates externally involves options such as: 

1. Job boards such as Indeed and Tamborin are an excellent source of talent as they connect organizations to applicants. 

2. The careers page on the company’s website is updated whenever there are vacancies. The careers page should be mobile-friendly with engaging content that encourages applicants to toss their hats in the ring because most candidates will check out the company’s website after discovering a job. 

3. Recruitment organizations such as CareerBuddy to assist with placements

4. Campus recruitment- Career and recruitment fairs in universities can attract young and competent talents eager to do the work.

5. Applicants and organizations have leveraged social media platforms, particularly Twitter and LinkedIn. 79% of job applicants use social media in their job search. According to a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey, 71% of recruiters said social media recruiting was effective in decreasing time-to-fill for non-management, salaried positions. 

• Screen and shortlist candidates

To hire the best candidates, you have to screen and shortlist applicants to match the ideal profile to fit the company’s hiring needs.

Screen applications based on minimum qualifications. Screening can be performed manually by reviewing resumes or automated with the help of ATS. After screening, shortlist applicants left in the pool for interviews based on their qualifications, subject matter knowledge, experience, and skills. 

Communicate with unsuccessful applicants, regardless of the volume of applications. 80% of unsuccessful applicants are more likely to apply again if they have a positive candidate experience. A positive candidate experience is greatly dependent on employers continuously communicating status updates to candidates.

Successful applicants may perform a screening test or be invited for interviews. The interview is an excellent opportunity to learn more about an applicant and clarify questions or quell doubts.

• Interview shortlisted candidates

Interviews can be conducted virtually or in person over different stages. The first stage can be short with questions that compare applicants’ knowledge and experience to the requirements in the job description. Endeavor to tell applicants what to expect, the next steps, how long the entire process will take, how they can prepare, and most importantly, respect their time.

The interview process is an excellent time to find the ideal candidate and best fit for the role and the team. But, candidates also want to know if the organisation is the best place for them, so highlight the benefits of joining the company and the culture.

• Evaluation, Decision and Offer

This is the final stage of the selection process. Following the interview process, background checks and reference checks should be done. Ask candidates to provide reference details and send emails to gather information about work ethics and performance from former colleagues or managers. 

Select and make an offer to the ideal candidate to join the team based on culture fit, growth potential, and willingness to learn.

The offer should include relevant information such as benefits, start day, and work hours and use language that the candidate would clearly understand. Anticipate and prepare for a counter and be open to negotiating. Once a candidate accepts and signs an offer, the selection process is over.

• Onboarding

After a candidate accepts the offer and signs the contract, it’s time to welcome them to the team. During the onboarding stage, it is essential to make new employees feel like they have made the best decision by joining the team by providing training, information and necessary resources to help them get settled. 

According to SHRM, organisations with a standard onboarding process experience 50% greater new hire productivity and 69% of employees are more likely to stay with the company if they experience great onboarding. 

Scheduling a meeting or call with the team lead and other team members in the first week is essential in fostering camaraderie in new hires. This meeting also provides more information to help the new employees understand the responsibilities and expectations of the role. Once employees settle in, request feedback on the onboarding process to help guide and improve the processes for future hires. It is not enough to attract top talents; you also have to work to keep them. 

Follow the steps above to optimize the recruitment process, appeal to a wider pool of applicants and attract qualified candidates. A recruitment process saves company resources, retains talents, and sets the standard for future hiring.