5 Best Questions to Answer Before You Start Recruiting Employees

5 Best Questions to Answer Before You Start Recruiting Employees 5 Best Questions to Answer Before You Start Recruiting Employees Anytime I get into my car, I’m fairly certain of two things related to my destination. I know it (because I’m not one to simply take a drive) and I either know the routes that will get me there or I’ll let my navigation system show me the way. In any case, I don’t start driving until these things are determined. Why don’t companies recruit employees this way? They should, and I’ve tried to simplify a way for them to do that by reviewing these 5 best questions to answer before you start recruiting employees. I’ll know the right employee when I see her Really?   And, you’re also certain that once you hire that job candidate she will have a long, successful career as one of your employees. Oftentimes, employers are guessing at the employees they need (i.e., the “who” specifically). This guessing game leads to many mis-hires or no-hires. Either way, it’s not helping employers ensure they’re hiring right. To further exacerbate the issue, even when they’re face-to-face with a good prospective employee, many employers are not certain how to secure them. Knowing the answers to these 5 questions will help you hire right…and faster You can eliminate the guessing by addressing five key questions related to your recruitment effort. (These questions will, of course, spawn some additional ones, but these are the major categories that you need to confirm.) Who exactly do we seek? Requirements clarity is criticalâ€"and this means across the entire organization from the recruiters to the interviewers, including the hiring officials. This unified understanding expedites the process and eliminates much unnecessary interaction with candidates you ultimately will not hire. How will we evaluate the job candidates? Documented, well-defined, specific criteria are best when evaluating candidates. In its absence, make sure to communicate detailed criteria to recruiters and interviewers so all evaluate against the same benchmarks. Do we keep the qualified job candidates engaged?  You want to make sure your recruitment process is designed to screen and sell. This will improve your ability to “pull in” the best job candidates. One area that’s easy to address this is related to the balance between interviewing the candidate and allowing her to ask questions regarding insight she needs to make a solid career decision. Do we eliminate unqualified job candidates quickly?  It’s important that you not only design your recruitment process to keep the most desirable candidates engaged, but also equally important not to spend considerable time with job candidates you won’t ultimately hire. In your interviewing process, evaluate your non-discretionary criteria upfront so you have visibility to this and can immediately filter out these candidates. I call it failing fast! Do we finish well? First, the job offer extension is one of the most important interactions in the process. It should be well prepared and carefully considered. If you decide to extend a job offer, you want the candidate to accept it. In the event you want to pass on a candidate, your company should clearly communicate its rationale. While there are many areas to address in each of these questions, once your organization has identified the necessary information and built these processes, you’ll see more consistent, successful hiring results. To learn more regarding ways to better recruit, see Optimize Your Hiring Practices to Predict Success. To learn more about strengthening your employer brand to job candidates, see How Strong is Your Employment Brand? To learn more about how milewalk can help with your recruitment efforts, please  Contact Us.