The goal of effective recruiting is to find the right person for any job opening. Effective recruiting practices that consider the specific needs of the organization with an eye toward limiting potential legal risk, saves time as well as money.
Developing a step-by-step recruiting process allows an employer time to identify its workforce needs,decide how to attract and find the best recruits, and ultimately hire the most qualified candidates. Keeping in mind that specific details of the hiring process will be unique to your operation, we have included below some of the most common steps in the recruiting process.
The first step in any recruiting process is to identify the hiring need. Is the operation looking at expansion efforts, filling a vacated position, or managing existing workloads? Answering this initial question will focus the recruiting efforts as you move through the plan.
The next steps taken will initiate recruitment efforts and depend largely on the position the organization is looking to fill. If the position to be filled is newly created, it is important to clearly identify how the new role integrates with existing operations. Internal teams and employees impacted by the new position should be kept updated on recruitment efforts and estimated timelines. If the hiring need is to fill or expand existing positions, it will be important to consider who will be involved in the hiring decisions, recruitment timelines, and interview schedules. Other important factors to consider at this stage include, how to publicize the open/new position, criteria for candidate screenings, what type of interview process will be utilized, and who will be conducting the interviews.
Once these initial questions are answered, creating or updating the relevant job description(s) is the next step.
With the job description prepared, it’s time to decide where to search for the most qualified candidates. Apart from internal candidates, publicity efforts will likely include a combination of these resources. While most of these resources rely on interested candidates responding to advertising efforts, employers can take the initiative by actively seeking qualified candidates at job fairs and on social media platforms such as LinkedIn. Caution should be exercised if advertising on websites or social media sites such as Facebook that are not dedicated to job seekers.
Once an employer has decided the best method for sourcing qualified candidates, the next steps include application review, initial screening efforts, interviews, selection, the conditional offer of employment, background/reference checks and final approval.
Check in with us next week for best practices and tips on conducting background checks.
Find these tips and best practices useful? Check out Western Growers newly updated Personnel Procedures Manual (PPM) The PPM is an information-packed employer tool that provides helpful guidance for employers navigating the employer/employee relationship from pre-employment to termination. Click the PPM link in the body of the newsletter for more information.
