The recruiter’s dilemma (and how to fix it)

The goals of a recruiter or HR rep often conflict with one another. Here we break down three strategies to hire more efficiently.

What are the goals of the hiring process from the perspective of the employer? Easy: hire the best possible candidate, and do it fast. Unfortunately, those goals can easily contradict each other. Additionally, ignoring one of the two goals hurts your company in the long run. Moderation is key when embarking on the hiring process. Finding the right balance could mean the difference between an average employee and a rockstar.

Don’t rush the process, but don’t wait too long…

Companies need to fill their open positions quickly, so any extra time spent finding the perfect candidate is burning money, right? Well, not exactly. Employees contribute a great deal to their companies. A small increase in productivity can add a lot of value in the long run. That being said, if you plan to wait for the perfect candidate, you may be waiting for a long while. Don’t get caught up in the minor details and risk passing over solid candidates.

3 key tips to maximize the use of your time:

1. Rework the job description. Have you been using unoriginal phrases? Consider livening up the description to attract more attention.

2. Take a walk in the candidates’ shoes. Is the salary too low? Is the job compelling enough? Revisit the industry standards for things like benefits and training, and aim a little higher with your pitch and compensation, even if it means speaking with management to get the approval. Finding one or two small things that set your company apart from the rest will go a long way in capturing a candidate’s interest.

3. Use pre-employment testing. Companies like TestUP allow you to create positions, schedule tests, and then compare and contrast your candidates’ results. This saves you hours of interviewing and sifting through resumes. Pre-employment tests do all of the time consuming work for you. When you sit down with a candidate, you’ll already know whether or not he or she is the cream of the crop.

There’s no magic formula for hiring future all-stars, and these suggestions are just to get you started. However, putting in just a little extra effort into the details can reap big rewards. After all, it’s often the little minor details that can make or break a candidate’s experience.

Theresa is a guitar player from Michigan. She started her own band a couple of years ago and regularly plays clubs from all across the state. Writing is her second biggest passion after music.