The Recruitment Process, Explained

We’re all familiar with the lengthy process of getting hired, but do we actually know what the recruitment process is like? Recruitment is a task to find and hire the best-qualified candidate for a job in the most efficient and economical manner. The recruitment process is made up of a series of steps, but it begins with identifying the purpose and needs of your company and new hires.

When we think of recruiting someone, it’s common to reference the standards of a specific job, attracting interviewees to apply for that job, pre-screening the applicants and selecting among them, and finally hiring the candidate to become a new employee.

To integrate them into the structure of your vision, it’s crucial we understand the real reasons behind the recruitment process and why they’re important. According to Cleverism, a company should begin by aligning a potential employee’s skills and the organization's goals and initiatives. By going through this exercise, it’ll be easy to identify if your company needs a restructuring or provide some learning opportunities for current employees. Every company should focus on becoming efficient and providing a process with proven results. When you look at the big picture, effective recruiting is hiring a person who’s the absolute best possible candidate in the pile, with all the requirements fulfilled and qualifies for the job without hesitation.

On the other hand, effective recruiting should also be cost-efficient for your company. With having a guided plan in motion, HR should feel confident in finding the perfect candidate. Every organization functions differently, but not having a planned process could cause useless charges and time. Also, your company could end up with wasted resources or the wrong hire — the last thing you would want is to train an unqualified employee.

With every business being so different, let’s take a look at the general steps in a recruitment process. Remember, the process begins long before the actual candidate search.

STEP 1: ESTABLISH A JOB ANALYSIS
Sometimes we get lost in what’s expected from a specific position — all of HR and members of the management team should conduct a job analysis for each open position. A job analysis can be the main resource we refer to for assessments and even interview questions, so it’s very important to build it out correctly, including:

• Drafting a job description: To begin recruiting, you must discuss what you need and who would fit that role best. A job description should always include the responsibilities of the employee and the skills needed to succeed.
• Choosing a salary range: The job should match a salary that reflects the responsibilities and tasks that represent that job title. Other than following standard legislation rules, like minimum wage, you should do some research on competitive industry rates. This will make sure you’re in the right ballpark for that industry and are providing a fair offer.

STEP 2: DETERMINE HOW TO FIND YOUR CANDIDATES
There are many ways to find candidates, but consider the following three activities:

• Networking: Word-of-mouth is the most effective form of advertising a job — we’re talking about representatives at college job fairs or career workshops. Usually, companies will attend to find fresh, young, competitive talent.
• Posting: A recruitment process usually involves candidates in and out of the company. It’s important to promote the job both internally and externally, this way you’re attracting viewership in your own space and to people who are job seeking or know people who are. Posting on your company website is always an easy and effective way, as well as job sites such as LinkedIn and Glassdoor.
• Use reputation and technique to your advantage: Your company should include ways to attract top talent, such as bonuses, perks, learning opportunities and even professional work environments. Your benefits should help to promote your business as a great place to work. Having a positive lead in reputation will make you stand out amongst competitive companies.

STEP 3: THE INTERVIEW PROCESS
Now is the time when you begin talking with candidates. The process should include four parts:

• Pre-screening of applicants: Be prepared, this step is the one that will take the most effort on your end. Especially in larger company settings, it’s nearly impossible to read through hundreds of thousands of resumes. By conducting a preliminary screening, you’ll instantly remove the candidates who don’t meet the initial requirements.
• Initial interviews: Candidates who pass the preliminary screening should partake in an interview. These interviews are commonly held over the phone, asking basic questions, identifying character traits, and assessing their basic skill, etc.
• Final interviews and selection: To get to the final interview, it can take rounds and rounds of conversations. Once you and your HR team have come up with a narrowed list, you can invite the candidates to a final round interview. This type of interview is held face-to-face between the potential candidate and hiring team. Depending on your incoming role for the company, you could expect top management to be present and involved.
• The final decision: Finally, it’s time to ask yourself two questions to determine your final decision: did the candidate match the job description and its requirements, and did the candidates' assessments and interviews reveal talent and success? Now here’s when it gets tricky — does everyone agree? If the decision is unanimous, the recruitment process is closed, but if there’s no consensus on a final choice then the recruitment process may not be over just yet.

STEP 4: OFFERING A JOB OFFER
Once your organization is ready to offer them a position, follow these steps:

• Offer them the job: Most of the time, a representative from HR will contact the candidate and offer them the job. This is when all details are explained for employee compensation and long-term growth and success.
• Candidate accepts the offer: Even though you’re extending an offer, the candidate should inform you about their plan to accept the offer for it to be considered final. If the offer is declined, you’ll have to repeat the process and devise a new game plan.

For your recruitment process to be successful, remember that you should establish a well-planned recruitment process and use these tips for guidance.