When looking to fill a position, hiring managers know that it takes a lot of time. Sometimes the process can take months, sifting through applications and conducting interviews to find the perfect candidate. Here are a few tips to save your time and money and speed up the hiring process.

1. Look Internally

Hiring an externally can cost 18-20% more to hire than an internal employee? The expenses and costs that come with training a new employee for the role can add up. Not to mention the time taken away from work due to new hire orientations and generally just getting the hang of the job. By hiring an employee who already knows the office and the role’s duties, you can save yourself from those expenses and growing pains.

Another benefit of promoting internally rather than hiring a new employee is the motivation it brings into the office. If employees know that there is a chance for growth within the company, they will perform better when it comes to doing their work. Not only will hiring internally improve motivation, but it will also improve morale in the office. Studies have shown that when employees in a company have the potential for promotions, they will think outside the box more often and prove that they are the right candidate for the job. Not only will this speed up the hiring process, but it might even speed up the time to complete work in the office.

    2. Be Simple and Visible

Gone are the days of the general “help wanted” ads in the newspaper. In today’s market, there are more job openings than there are candidates wanting to work. The struggle becomes how to promote the job opening to the right candidates. The first step is to keep it simple. With tools like LinkedIn and Indeed.com, there are easy ways for people to apply for your job. Create a format that allows a candidate to drag and drop their resume to upload it, and use LinkedIn for auto-fill. 

Being visible can also be a challenge in today’s market. As stated earlier there are so many different channels and platforms today for people to browse on, it seems impossible to stand out and be seen. Luckily there are websites like LinkedIn that bring your audience to you. Having your job opening just posted on your website won’t make the cut anymore, branch out and post your job to Facebook, LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and any other website you choose. The more visible your application is, the better the chance that the right candidate will see it and apply. 

   3. Know What You are Looking For

A simple yet effective tip to speed up the hiring process is to know exactly what you are looking for when people are applying and being interviewed. Taking some time beforehand to understand the day-to-day duties of the position and talking to other employees of that department can help you to pick the diamond in the rough. This is because when candidates come into interviews you will be able to mentally checkboxes off in your head with the qualities that you are looking for. It can even start with reviewing applications. If the candidate has a resume that does not match with the hard skills required for the job, it’s a no-brainer. But, by taking time to understand the role, you will be able to look deeper into the resume to pick out the soft skills that are helpful to office culture, and the overall effectiveness of the position. 

Getting employees involved in the hiring process will improve their job satisfaction, making your office a better place. When employees feel a sense of involvement and belonging they tend to enjoy their job better. People feel a sense of pride when their opinion is taken into consideration. So the next time you are filling a job opening, asking for input isn’t a bad idea.

    4. Communicate Effectively

As the conduit between the company and the candidates, it is your job to relay important information. If you want to speed up the hiring process you must stay organized and communicate effectively between parties. The process does take time, paperwork and the other bureaucratic red tape has to be done. However, simply telling the candidate what step of the process they are at will help to hold their interest. Often when a candidate is applying for a position, yours is not the only one they are interested in. Far too often a hiring manager completes an interview and waits 2+ weeks to let the candidate know what is happening. By that time the person already accepted and started a position at another company. 

When you receive any sort of update on the hiring process, shoot the candidate an email just updating them on what is going on. This will make the candidate feel included and your position will stay top-of-mind even if the process takes longer. Also letting your company know what is going on with the candidate can speed up the process. If your candidate looks like they will take another role somewhere else, letting your company know can be a kick in the pants that is needed to streamline the process.

    5. Review References

Far too often the candidate’s references are checked by the hiring manager at the end of the process. Cutting out steps like this can help to speed up the hiring of a candidate. Try asking for references during the first round of the interviews, or even on the application itself. It is no secret that some references will not get back to you for days, or even ever, so asking for these contacts up-front instead of the end can save time. 

This tip can also be used for internal references, which are references that work at your company. It is common for people to recommend their friends for jobs to work together or think they are the perfect fit for the job. No matter the intention, talking to your coworkers about their recommendations can also take time and slow down the hiring process. If the intentions are good, and the candidate is qualified, this can help speed up the process and make everyone’s jobs a whole lot easier. 

Still, feeling like your hiring process is slow? At Allied, we can quickly fill any position for you with ease, and get you the perfect new hire. Reach out to one of our recruiters today!