There’s an old axiom in business and human resources which states, “Hire in haste, repent at leisure.”
I like to put it another way: Hire in haste, fire at leisure.
Business owners and executives know that, often, quick decisions are wrong decisions. With that said, there is a way to speed up the hiring process without jeopardizing the quality of the new employee.
By keeping an eye toward engaging in an accelerated plan that simply accelerates your generally prudent and deliberative decision-making criteria, let’s discuss the importance and benefits of a speedy hiring process.
I want to be clear. We’re not suggesting anyone cut corners, settle for less or avoid necessary due diligence when it comes to adding new hires.
All managers are judged by the success of whatever it is they manage. For most of us, that’s a team of people. The right addition to your team can make all the difference in elevating productivity, product and service offerings, and profitability. With this in mind, any hiring decision is a vital decision.
So, let’s dive in, and consider some questions:
1. What Are the Benefits of Speeding up Your Hiring Process?
Well, when we look at the current employment landscape, we’re seeing shortages of available candidates in all areas. From unskilled manual labor to technical personnel on up to the managerial level, there aren’t enough potential applicants.
It’s a job seeker’s market and individuals looking for work have a few potential options. Accelerating your hiring process and making a good offer to someone you consider a suitable candidate just makes sense.
2. How Do You Speed up Your Hiring Process?
Bring in your hiring team and agree on the development of a streamlined and standardized candidate vetting procedure. This isn’t to say you start from scratch and dump everything you’ve been doing — particularly if it’s been working. With the knowledge that this is a job seeker’s market in mind, everyone should understand the need to move quickly.
3. Who’s Involved?
As referenced above, having a hiring team is key. Depending on the size and needs of your organization, the team could consist of as few as 3 people, but shouldn’t go beyond 6 people.
Bear in mind here that recent data suggests that the more people involved in the hiring decision and vetting of a candidate will result in a better hire overall because you have more and varied perspectives to rely on. This is good, but don’t allow it to slow you down. Schedule interviews that include multiple team members at once, and try to have everyone involved speak to the candidate at least once during their first visit to your company.
4. I Thought You Were Going to Do That?
Once the team has a plan in place for your new speedy hiring process, make sure everyone follows through with their assigned task. If everyone agrees to move forward with the candidate, based on the first and/or second round of interviews — and don’t wait 2 weeks to schedule a second round of interviews — then a consensus needs to be reached quickly and all due diligence needs to be put into motion.
If your company requires a drug screen and/or background check upon the extension and acceptance of an offer, that should be anticipated and in-process on the day of acceptance.
Regarding the offer, make certain that all departments in your organization are on the same page and that the position has been approved and budgeted for in advance. Waiting for the department head to get back from their hike around the globe to sign off on a hire will likely result in the loss of a good candidate. With all the available employment options out there, your candidate isn’t going to sit around waiting.
5. Can I Start Next Month?
It’s a red flag when a candidate asks how much PTO they’ll get during the first interview. It should also be a red flag if a candidate wants to wait an inordinate amount of time to start their new job with your company.
A part of our speedy hiring process needs to include on-boarding the new employee quickly. If your new hire isn’t in place and productively involved in assigned tasks, then you are simply back to square one. There could also be another company out there with a better offer to entice them if they haven’t started working.
I hope I’ve sparked some ideas that will assist in reviewing your current hiring needs. To gain more perspective on the job market and getting the help you need quickly, feel free to contact our professionals who will help you find your next great hire.
