WHY AN EFFECTIVE RECRUITMENT PROCESS IS LIKE A MAGIC WAND

April 2021

Recruitment is hard work, a good eye for talent,

exemplary networking, selling a fantastic

company to amazing potential employees.

It requires infinite amounts of energy, technical

know-how and HR expertise. The support upon

 which all these skills rest is an effective

 recruitment process. A little like the Discworld

balanced on the backs of four elephants, which

in turn stand on the back of a giant turtle.

Don’t fear! With a little help, you can make the recruitment process even better, even if it’s still not effortless magic.

What is a HR recruitment process?

The recruitment process is the steps the Human Resourcesteam take to get the attention of, and select new employees to fill positions in an organisation. If the process is resilient, relevant and up to date, you will draw in the right talent to nurture and grow alongside the growing success of the company.

The process involves scouting for and finding the best-skilled candidates with the right experience and/ or temperament for the job at hand. Then interviewing candidates, shortlisting where necessary, and finally selecting and onboarding the most suitable candidate.

The importance of a solid recruitment process

The magic of a well-planned recruitment process is that it potentially reduces employee turnover rates, while

simultaneously decreasing cost-per-hire. Finding the right fairy for the position – I mean, person, is the ultimate

achievement of success because employees are the greatest investment a company can make in the pursuit of success.

What makes a recruitment process effective?

The recruitment process would be designed according to each company’s specific personality, or culture. However,

magicians might have their own styles of magic, but they use the same formulas and ingredients to cast their spells.

An effective recruitment process has specific steps to streamline the task.

Automate

You can digitise almost anything nowadays. In a different century that would have been called Magic. But seriously,

if you haven’t yet, try an applicant tracking system (ATS) for your recruiting process. An ATS automates actions like

where you post job listings. You can track how many applicants you get, and filter CVs (or resumes) to find the most

qualified applicant. For certain positions, if required, you can even filter based on applicants completing basic skills

assessments. It is a huge time saver.

Pay attention to data

With intelligent, comprehensive HR software you can tailor your recruitment needs with data analytics. You can see

how many people applied, how many HR has interviewed, who along the recruitment process have done interviews

with each candidate, where the best candidates have come from. And so much more!

The added benefit is that you can reflect after each recruitment experience and refine the process to exacting

levels.

Illustrate why people should work at your organisation through the values and company mission. How do you

display this? Think about where candidates would go to find out about the company as employer. 

Benefits of an effective recruitment process

A longer life, perhaps? And a few more benefits… Remember that an organisation is like an ecosystem of interlinked smaller systems that create a healthy whole. One brilliant link will directly impact on another linked system, and so on, until the entire ecosystem is brilliant and healthy. Let’s take a look at the benefits of an effective recruitment process.

Lower costs

A direct result of a great recruitment process is increased profitability and performance of the company. You’ve successfully installed the right person for the job to fulfill their responsibilities and share resources, making the company more efficient and financially stronger. And if you’ve automated much of the recruiting process, you’ve done it with brilliant time management to boot. It’s not Dark Magic. It’s common sense.

Higher quality

A fast or well-paced recruitment process will attract the high-quality candidates, and keep them interested. If the process is slow, it sucks the life out of any enthusiasm anyone might have had. And well, you’ve likely lost them. Perhaps even you are by now scarily close to throwing in the towel. No, you definitely want to invest in a better process.

Increased productivity

An effective recruitment process in the UAE and elsewhere means HR has the resources and time to train new and existing employees. The focus on learning and development cultivates greater employee engagement and creates a more efficient workforce.

Faster business growth

Because you’re hiring the best candidates in the shortest possible time, you’re getting the resources the business needs now, and the company continues to grow without missing a beat. Time, energy and money is spent on business growth.

Vital stages of the recruitment process

The recruitment process in HR is like brewing a magic potion. It requires specific ingredients and a recipe to get the desired result. Of course, the specific qualities of the potion will depend on the kind of magic the business is after. But the recipe remains the same.

Mapping out requirements

List the needs of the job you’re recruiting for before you create the post. Chat to the hiring manager. Refresh your take on the company’s values and mission. Think about the team you’re recruiting into and what useful habits or skills would work best.

Job description

This is a vital piece in the design of a recruitment process. When you understand the business needs, you can clearly define the duties and responsibilities for the role, setting the correct expectations for the business and potential candidates.

Recruitment plan

Pen down your strategy. Who will review applicants, schedule and conduct interviews, and decide on the right candidate? If you have HR software, you can set the recruitment policy and procedures within the system and automate the plan.

Finding potential candidates

Software is once again a knight to the rescue. Heard of keyword recruitment tools? Try it for cutting down on search time and weeding out unsuitable candidates in the initial stages of recruiting.

Interviews

Conduct phone screening with the candidates you have shortlisted, ideally within a week. Make a list of the best interview questions and schedule interviews to start as soon after phone screening as possible. If the process takes too long, candidates can lose interest. Communicate where you are in the recruiting process, and follow up as soon as you’ve decided on a candidate, also notifying those who were unsuccessful.

Skills assessments

Skill assessments are handy tools to determine a candidate’s skill and personality type or habits that can complement the team. It offers you a more complete picture of the appropriate candidate.

Reference checks

Once you’ve decided on a candidate, check the references. Remember to clearly state in the recruitment policy how the references are used and what kinds of references you would accept. Always inform candidates that you are contacting references.

Make an offer

This stage is a delicate moment in the process. You want to make an offer that the candidate of your choice can’t refuse. Perhaps a call from the hiring manager could seal the deal. More than 90% of candidates contacted by a manager accepted an offer quicker. And remember that the offer is still subject to negotiation of salary and benefits.

Onboarding

You did it! The deal is closed. The best (wo)man won and is now part of your company’s impressive team. The onboarding process sets the tone for the new hire’s experience of the company. It involves completing the all-important paperwork, but also introducing and integrating the newbie into the company culture.