5 Steps to a Quick Hire

Generally speaking speed shouldn’t be one of the decisive factors in the process of recruiting. A quick hire might mean that you overlook the finer details of the hiring process but occasionally the need for speed is crucial.

If an employee hands in their notice at last minute, it could leave you with as little as 4 weeks to find someone to fill their shoes. Without a quick hire the rest of your team will be lumbered with the duties of their recently departed colleague or worse still, a key employee will leave a gap that even their co-workers can’t temporarily fill.

As times drags on the ever mounting urgency to fill the vacancy increases, so how can you make a quick hire yet still find the right candidate for the job?

1. A quick hire begins with the job description

Now, if you follow our blog you will of heard this piece of advice time and time again, but like a good cliche – we say it because it’s true! The importance of wording your job ad to describe exactly what you are looking for is invaluable.

Examine precisely what the position involves and before they leave, ask your departing employee to make a summary of what they perceive to be their main duties. Don’t worry about being specific, there are people out there who will fit the bill.

When you’re making a quick hire you won’t have time to sift through piles of pointless applicants, so do yourself a favor and spell it out in the ad.

2. The perfect candidate might be under your nose…

If you don’t already have an internal recruitment system setup – do it now!

Think of it this way, not only is it faster but hiring from within cuts out all of the costs that come with external recruitment. No advertising fees, no fat paycheck for a professional recruiter. Your quick hire could be sitting in the same building, but neither of you will know it unless you spread the word.

In smaller companies an updated notice board could do the trick, in larger businesses an online recruitment system might be more effective. Either way, thanks to your internal network you could find, assess and make a quick hire in a matter of days.

3. A quick application process for a quick hire

For today’s job seekers it’s all about speed.

A quick hire may not always be your priority but whether you’re in a hurry or not, a fast application process is key to successful recruiting. When it comes to online application, every step you ask your candidate to take is another opportunity for them to bail out – don’t let them.

Enable candidates to apply in minutes with their LinkedIn profiles and make sure your regular online application form doesn’t take more than 15 minutes to complete. It stands the reason, a quick application process will lead to a quick hire.

4. Cut throat decision making

In an ideal world you would have the time to be a little more open minded when it comes to the recruiting process, but when it comes to making a quick hire it pays to be ruthless.

If hiring internally isn’t an option, then hopefully steps 1 and 3 will already have a good stream of suitable candidates rolling in. Read through the resumes, be picky, decide on your top 10 candidates and set up phone interviews.

Following the phone interviews choose your top 3-5 and only then invite them into the office. A more ruthless approach to pre-selection may run the risk of missing out on hidden talent, but when it comes to a quick hire it pays to be decisive.

5. Quickening the pace for a quick hire

As a general rule it’s best to leave reference checks until the last step of the hiring process. mainly because it’s time consuming and there’s no point in going through the process if you’re not down to your final choice of candidates.

For a quick hire you can bend the rules on this one for the sake of speed, but it comes with a word of warning: If a candidate is currently employed and you go ahead and call their boss for a reference it obviously has huge implications for that candidate if you don’t hire them.

Use tact and initially only contact the second or third name on the list, you can save the most recent employer for when you’ve made your final decision and hopefully nailed that quick hire.

How softgarden can help

Whether you’re pressed for time recruitment software is the perfect way to speed up your hiring process without sacrificing the quality of your candidates.

Pre-screening tools allow you to specify applicant criteria, which will automatically sort your strongest candidates. Clear overviews and collaboration tools allow you to discuss and compare candidates within your team, meaning that you can come to a communal decision quickly yet efficiently.

See the softgarden website for more info on how recruitment software can help you make the right hire. It’s free to use for 14 days, no obligation, no credit card required. Any thoughts or suggestions? Leave your comments below!

Image reference – flickr Timmytusa