When it comes to hiring, do you take a tortoise or a hare perspective? In other words, do you try to fill a spot quickly to avoid having that gap in a department, or do you take your time to find the absolute best person? Those who tend toward one extreme or the other can end up with the wrong person in the position, or they lose out on top talent due to a slow-moving hiring process. The best idea involves finding a balance between the two.
- Take your time… You want the best person for the job, and this requires thought and careful deliberation on your part. Create a job description that covers what that person’s duties will be and what sort of background/experience the candidate must bring do the job properly. If dealing with an anticipated vacancy, you have a little more time to really find that right person and even involve the departing employee in the hiring process. Cull through the resumes and schedule phone interviews with the most promising candidates, then take time for in-person interviews. If it’s a sudden departure, work with a staffing agency to get someone in temporarily (and who may turn into a full-time employee if they do a good job) while you search.
- …but don’t take too long. For a candidate, one of the most frustrating parts of applying for a job includes the seemingly endless limbo of waiting to hear from the employer. Top candidates will quickly look and get hired elsewhere by a company that doesn’t drag its feet in the decision-making process. If your job description timeline says that you’re looking to hire immediately, you need to complete the hiring in a timely fashion (read: a few weeks instead of months). If you do have to delay, contact your top choices as soon as possible to let them know, and apologize for the extension. This lets them know you’re considerate of their time, too.
- Find the right balance. If you want a thorough hiring process that doesn’t take too long, seriously consider working with a staffing agency that specializes in your industry. This takes the hiring stress out of your hands and puts it in the hands of those whose purpose is to connect qualified candidates with companies searching for talent. By working with a staffing agency, you will cut out the initial resume search-and-cull that would take up a great deal of your time. Remember, the agency has screened candidates at the ready. Tell the agency what you’re looking for, and they will find it for you, whether on a temporary or permanent basis.
Hiring may feel like a race, but if you can manage to take adequate time and work efficiently – and engage a staffing agency to accomplish that – you’ll end up with a quality hire and satisfaction all around.
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