The need for speed: Tips for recruiting staff in 2022
By Jane Harvey, Executive Search Specialist, Eden Ritchie Recruitment
The pandemic was tough on all of us – businesses have lost amazing staff and many people have struggled without work for a long time.
But now it’s a new year and business owners are racing to open their doors as soon as possible. Job vacancies are higher than ever. We’re now in a candidate-driven market. So if you’re looking for that perfect new hire, you’ll find yourself in a very competitive arena.
It’s a long way from where we were a few years ago – when businesses could pick and choose. Now it’s the skilled candidates who have all the choice.
Today your candidate management needs to be tight and fast. Speed to market is super important – you need to act quickly or risk losing your preferred candidate.
I often see clients taking weeks (or even longer) to find the right person and get them in. This may have worked in 2019 or 2020. But in 2022, you need to act fast or your perfect person will be scooped up by your competition.
Here are some tips for speeding up the recruitment process:
Streamline your processes
You have to create a tight process for hiring efficiently with as little lost time as possible.
Identify any bottlenecks holding up the process. Are you clear on your requirements? Are their areas, skills or qualifications that are a non-negotiable, and equally, are there other areas you can compromise / be more flexible?
Perhaps you require too many high-level staff in the interviews, which creates delays due to scheduling conflicts.
Or perhaps you just have too many steps to getting the person in. Analyse every stage of your process to see where you could streamline.
Get the job description right
Reading applications can take the most time in the recruitment process. You must cut this time down, starting with the job ad/description.
Be specific about what you want from candidates in terms of abilities, experience and results but also be open to thinking more laterally in such a tight candidate market.
Use tools to find the right candidate
The tried-and-true method of posting a job ad and seeing who applies is only one option now. These days, companies use social media and personal networks to find their candidates.
So often in recruitment, it’s about who you know. The more people you know, the further the word will spread. This might bring your ideal candidate straight to you.
Don’t delay!
Once you’ve found the right candidate, tell them! I’ve seen many companies take weeks find their perfect person – only to lose them due to the length of the process.
Often it’s because recruiters are waiting for executive-level sign-off or some HR, security or IT setup. You must reduce these delays and get your new hire in quickly. If they don’t hear from you, they might just take another offer.
Use a recruitment agency
Sometimes recruitment delays occur because everyone involved is busy doing their job. We get it – that’s why we think that using a recruitment agency is invaluable to an organisation.
Our streamlined approach and proven methodology will give you suitably experienced and qualified candidates in quick time. When you consider all the time and productivity that gets lost to recruiting, engaging an agency like Eden Ritchie Recruitment is a very cost-effective, time saving and thorough option.
Contact us to see how we can find you the perfect candidate – before someone else finds them first!
To view our current opportunities, visit us at Eden Ritchie Recruitment