Be realistic about the complexity of recruitment.
The main gripe I hear coming from recruitment managers is ‘it took a lot longer to hire than I envisaged’. Bringing new staff into a team can be a difficult part of any job, especially people who are not accustomed to recruiting. It can cost time, money and patience. It is important for both recruiters and candidates to understand timescales and the complexities behind hiring someone. That understanding can reduce the time it takes.
Luckily Environment Works has put together some key information:
- Time – the average time from role signed off to someone walking through the doors on their first day is between 70 and 75 days. Realistically you need to start thinking about your hiring project four to five months before you want someone to start.
- Confidence – understand exactly what you want in a candidate. A detailed assessment makes for a more efficient search to find the right person.
- Deadlines – plan the process and set realistic timelines. This includes more than just end-dates for applications. Set out first and second interview dates and offer dates, for example. It is a full-time project to recruit, so treat it like one.
- Interviews – this can be the lengthiest and most frustrating part. Prepare yourself as much as you expect the candidate to prepare. Make the most of your two to three hours of interviewing so you can make an informed decision. You also need to give the right impression of you and the company.
- Help – you are not on your own. Whether support is from your internal recruitment team or a specialist consultant to source the people you need, sort out interviews and negotiate offers, help is at hand. Remember time is money and a specialist consultant can be worth their weight in gold.
If you have any questions on hiring and its process, contact [email protected].