25 Recruiting Tips to Improve Your Hiring Process

The best recruiting strategies draw from a wide variety of disciplines, involve people across different departments, and include many skills to acquire along the way. Recruiting can get very complex, very quickly when you take its different aspects into account.

To help you stay on top of things, we created this list of recruiting tips for a better, more efficient, and more successful recruitment operation.

Think of it as a shortlist or cheat sheet of the top recruiting tips and strategies you can implement based on our work with SeeMeHired customers and 30+ years of experience in the industry. 

Let’s dive in. 

1. Improve Your Company Branding

A good employer brand will enhance your talent acquisition by making your company a more attractive place to work at. On the other hand, lousy company branding will make talent avoid your company like the plague.

Today, company branding is more than just visuals. You also need to learn how to communicate your message effectively, establish your credibility, connect emotionally to your candidates, and keep your existing employees happy.

In other words, company branding is about communication and perception. Understanding more about your best employees and what they need is central to building your employer brand and attracting candidates that are a good fit for your culture. 

2. Match What Your Competitors Are Paying

Unsurprisingly, candidates will take the job that pays the highest, everything else being equal. This recruiting tip tells you to examine the market and, at the very least, match what your competitors are paying.

More than that, though, candidates can also use compensation to determine how much your company values the job they're applying for. If you don't match what your competitors in the industry are paying, it implies that you don't value the position as much as they do.

Remember, the best candidates know their worth, and they're not going to waste time on a company that doesn't.

3. Develop Your Employee Benefits

Another way of showing that your company values its employees is by identifying and developing key benefits. 

The most prized benefits among job seekers in the UK include healthcare and insurance, social benefits (e.g. childcare, paid annual leave), and transportation.

The right perks can present many advantages, such as improving workplace morale, boosting productivity, and increasing employee retention.

When recruiting, emphasise to your potential candidates all the employee benefits that they can get from your company. Be sure to mention them in all your job descriptions as well.

4. Show off Your Organisational Values

Your organisational values provide a framework for your company culture and code of conduct. In short, they communicate the principles that your company embraces.

By advertising your organisational values, potential talent can better assess whether your company is a good fit for them right from the get-go. Remember, when values align, an average employee can become outstanding.

5. Maximise Referrals From Employees

Referrals from your own employees are a highly valuable source of potential recruits. This is because your employees, especially the ones who have been there for some time, know the company culture in and out. This allows them to make better judgments on who can or can't thrive in your workplace.

In addition to that, everybody knows somebody who's looking for a job. If you trust your employees and believe in their decisions, you might want to consider asking them for referrals. Doing so can increase the chances of finding the best candidate for the position.

6. Review Candidates From Past Openings

Aside from referrals, former applicants are also great sources of potential candidates.

While an applicant may not have been the best choice for the position they initially applied for, the current job opening may be perfect for them. After all, there are many brilliant candidates out there that simply didn't match what the recruiters were looking for when they first applied.

A good applicant tracking system such as SeeMeHired can keep a database of previous applicants and tell you if any of them are a good fit for your current open position. This way, you won't have to waste time and resources marketing to new people when you already have the best candidates right within your grasp.
 

7. Build a Wide Network

One of the most effective recruiting tips is to build a strong network. A stronger network means a wider base of people who can see and share your job ads. 

And networking is still as important as it was before the pandemic, although there are some differences. For instance, there's less focus now on face-to-face networking and more on digital networking.

You may have already developed a solid brand image that you can communicate to your customers, networked with industry and non-industry contacts, and included your own employees in the recruiting effort.

However, you might be neglecting industry-changing tools right under your nose. For example, billions of people use some form of social media every day, so if you don't have a considerable LinkedIn or Facebook following yet, then you're definitely losing out.

8. Utilise Predictive Analytics

Predictive analytics refers to the use of machine learning and statistical algorithms to predict the likelihood of a certain outcome based on gathered data.

The use of predictive analytics in the recruiting industry allows you to make hiring decisions based on applicant and market data.

With predictive analytics, goals such as determining the strongest hires for an open position, personalising an offer based on candidate value and market conditions, and crafting a better candidate experience become easier to achieve. 

9. Use Digital Tools and Software

The days when we used pen and paper for everything have long gone by. Even relatively new technology, such as spreadsheets and email, are simply not enough in today's advanced recruiting landscape.

The best recruiters are using digital tools and software to make their jobs easier and their results better. For example, applicant tracking systems (ATS) can help employers manage every aspect of the hiring process efficiently. Hiring managers can use powerful automation tools to save time and resources on their recruitment campaigns.

In addition to this, scheduling and team coordination tools such as Monday.com or Teamwork can also be used for your office's everyday operations, especially for remote work.

10. Add a Personal Touch

These days, it seems like every company is concerned only with numbers and data. That's why, sometimes, it can be easy to forget that human connection is the core of any organisation. 

If you want to stand out from the rest, you have to remember that nothing beats a personal, human touch in recruiting. Although you can always use digital tools and software to make the task easier for you, never forget that you're recruiting humans, not robots.

Therefore, one recruiting tip is to humanise your campaign by presenting your company as more than just a business looking to improve its numbers. Create engaging and exciting postings, demonstrate your company's values, and always appeal to human emotions.

11. Recruit Like a Marketer

Recruiting is a lot like marketing, except instead of a product or service, you're marketing your company and any job openings you may have. And just like marketing a product or service, you should also present your job advertisement as though you're trying to get your audience to purchase something.

What most recruiters miss, though, are the core principles that guide marketers. Marketers are primarily concerned with selling their products — but it doesn't end there. They are deeply interested in knowing about their chosen target market, distinguishing themselves from competitors, and delivering a service that customers want to pay for.

In other words, there are more similarities between recruiting and marketing than you might have thought. If you're unsure how to do this, it might be worth arranging a meeting with your marketing head.

12. Write Better Job Posts

Job posts are the primary method you'll be using to let potential applicants know about your company's vacancy, so it's vital that they provide a good first impression of your company.

It may sound harsh, but if you have a bland or dull job post, the best candidates probably won't give it a second glance. It doesn't even matter if you're a relatively big company – if your job post isn't well-written, candidates may just skip it without even checking who posted it. Meanwhile, a well-crafted, engaging, and informative job post will make even a small company look sharp, professional, and above all, interesting.

13. Embrace Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity and inclusion efforts prevent discrimination and unconscious bias – two things that can lead to harmful and detrimental effects within the workplace.

Moreover, D&I efforts improve company branding and fulfil corporate responsibility, which results in a safer and more productive business. Glassdoor has also reported that companies with high D&I ratings are more likely to achieve increased revenue and meet financial goals.

If you want to create a diverse and inclusive workforce, then everything has to start from the recruitment process. With SeeMeHired's D&I module, you can minimise unconscious bias by masking candidate personal data during the shortlisting phase.
 

14. Never Rely on First Impressions Alone

Don't let first impressions of a particular candidate affect how you assess their performance, especially during the final round of interviews. Always ask yourself why you noted certain observations and whether or not your first impressions may have played a part.

Of course, we're not saying that first impressions never play a role. In fact, we personally believe in making a good first impression. However, it's also unfair to judge a candidate's fit and competence based merely on the first few seconds of your meeting.

Remember, that's what interviews are for: to get to know the candidate's personality and values more in-depth.

15. Create an Interview Rubric

An interview rubric is useful to have as it provides clear standards that interviewees can either pass or fail. By creating one, you'll have a clear, pre-defined list of criteria that you can use to see if a candidate is indeed a good match for a certain position.

If you're thinking of creating an interview rubric, make sure to consult with your team and other relevant departments first regarding what it should contain. Things that you and your company find valuable in a candidate, such as personality, work ethic, and technical expertise, are a must.

16. Prepare Standardised Interview Questions

If you have multiple employees handling your recruitment process, it's best to prepare standardised interview questions to ensure that everyone is making their assessment from the same place.

In addition to that, standardising your interview questions will also give you a guideline for any interview that you might be asked to handle in the future. No more last-minute mad dash for the candidate's CV just to have an idea of what you should ask them in their interview.

Just like creating interview rubrics, creating standardised interview questions will also require the coordination of multiple people, including the hiring team and other relevant people. With everyone's input, you can create important questions that everyone can use for both present and future interviews.

17. Recruit Internationally

The pandemic undoubtedly wreaked havoc on economies all around the world. However, one major effect of COVID-19 on the economy is the accelerated digitisation of goods and services.

Plenty of things were already online prior to the pandemic, but now, everything is. This includes work. In fact, with the pandemic still raging through countries worldwide, remote work has become the most prevalent mode of working.

Although this presents its own challenges, one benefit is that jobs are no longer tied to geographic positions. With this newfound international audience, you're much closer to finding the right candidate.

18. Consider Part-Time or Gig Workers

The world is changing, and so are the industry trends. Driven by all the layoffs and the sudden rise in popularity of work-from-home setups, the gig industry is predicted to include more than 7 million people in the UK by 2022.

Obviously, COVID-19 is one of the primary drivers of this industry. Due to the instability and uncertainty brought about by the pandemic, some companies are becoming more reluctant to hire permanent employees, instead opting to outsource work to third-party part-time workers.

If you have project-based jobs or small to medium-sized departmental tasks that need to be done, consider recruiting part-time workers online.

19. Focus on Quality Rather Than Quantity

If you're hiring people just to fill positions in your company, stop. Instead of focusing on the quantity, focus on the quality instead. Not only are the right hires more productive, firing and replacing bad ones is a huge recruitment cost you need to avoid.

Since your main focus should be on quality, don't hesitate to expend the necessary time and resources in choosing the right candidate for your company. Encourage a company culture that seeks out the best outcome by never settling for less in terms of your new hires.

20. Don't Be Too Wrapped up in Perfection

Remember, there's no such thing as perfection. While it's important to ensure that you're getting high-quality hires, you should also accept the fact that you'll never find the “perfect” candidate.

Being too wrapped up in the idea of it may cause you to lose sight of the things that are truly important when it comes to choosing the ideal employee, such as willingness to learn and their attitude towards growth and improvement.

Again, at the end of the day, you want to hire the best candidate, not the perfect one — they simply don't exist.

21. Be a Better Communicator

Communication is a skill that all hiring managers should have because it dramatically impacts the outcome of your recruitment process. Poor communication skills can cause a good candidate to back off during the interview stage. It can even lead you to miss obvious signs and end up with a bad hire.

Thus, you should take the time to learn how to be a better communicator. Do your own research, read books, and practice your communication skills. If you can, you should also avail training programs for you and your team. This won't just benefit your recruitment efforts, but the rest of the company as well.

22. Focus on Candidate Experience

This term refers to how your candidates perceive your company based on their experiences during the hiring process. Ignoring candidate experience can cause a lot of damages, not just to your company's bottom line but also to your company branding.

If your company is known to have bad candidate experiences, applicants are less likely to apply to your job openings. Instead, they might go to competitors with a better reputation in this area.

Some cornerstones of creating a great candidate experience are maintaining communication lines even after the interview by following up with the candidate and providing points of improvement that you noted during the interview.

23. Highlight Your Onboarding Process

The first few days or weeks when you don't know what you're doing in your new job is a significant source of anxiety for many employees.

Everybody wants to have a smooth and hassle-free onboarding, but not all recruiters can boast about their company's onboarding process, especially with the pandemic. What used to be a quick but cheerful office tour has now become a monotonous conference call and a few lonely weeks of learning only bits and pieces from the team.

Naturally, people would gravitate to whichever way is easiest. Having a stellar onboarding process can remove days or even weeks of anxiety, so it's an irresistible perk for some employees.

24. Hire as a Team

Even with all the tools and technology available, it’s still hard to manage a whole recruitment campaign, especially for multiple or in-demand positions.

Collaborating with a team can provide a fresh and diverse set of ideas that may not have occurred to you. With an entire team supporting your recruitment efforts, you can rest assured that you'll get the best hire.

25. Take Care of Your Offboarding Process

Although the onboarding process is obviously essential, you shouldn't neglect your offboarding process as well. After all, no brilliant candidate would want to work for a company known to treat its past employees poorly once it found out that they had plans to leave.

Remember, once an employee fully offboards, they'll be a walking advertisement for your company. They will carry with them all the experiences and opinions that they've formed while under your roof, and they will pass that along to whoever is willing to listen.

Creating a great offboarding process will make your employee's last few weeks feeling like they were truly valued.

Conclusion

Being a hiring manager is not easy. You probably have to juggle several things at once, and you might even encounter problems that you don't instantly have a solution to.

However, with this list of recruiting tips in your arsenal, we hope you’ve found at least one thing to implement for the betterment of your company.