The Right People for the Right Seats – 10 Best Practices

Being able to effectively fill positions can be difficult to navigate through for businesses without an HR department.

Here are 10 tips to cover every step of the recruiting process:

1. Job Descriptions: Job Descriptions should at MINIMUM include a company overview, salary range, accurate day to day responsibilities, and benefits.
2. Job Titles: The more specialized a job title is, the less applications will be received. Try not to confuse the audience by inflating job titles or being too creative. If the work is mostly administrative, then call it an Administrative Assistant. If the position is reporting directly to a C-suite, call it an Executive Assistant. Simple.
3. Job Sites: Post positions on job sites that are relevant and/or specialized to the type of position. A company needs to understand where their target audience is applying for positions or learning about open positions.
4. Job Sponsoring: The more specialized the position is, the more it should be sponsored to create visibility. Positions such as Administrative Assistant, Accounting Assistant, Marketing Assistant, Marketing Coordinator usually do not require sponsorship or paid advertising. Positions such as Full Stack Web Developer, Copywriter, Art Director may need a push for visibility.
5. Response Time: If an applicant is qualified, they should be contacted no longer than 48 hours from applying.
6. Phone Screen: ALWAYS PHONE SCREEN BEFORE ON-SITE INTERVIEWS. This will save a company a TON of time. Phone screens should cover the basics: gaps of employment, why they left positions, position overview, technical questions directly related to the position, desired salary, any nuances of the position, and an ask if they are still interested. It should take about 15-20 minutes each.
7. On-site Interview: The on-site interview is where a company learns of the candidates soft-skills and character. Ask behavioral questions and present current challenges to the candidate to see how they would navigate through those challenges.
8. Make an Offer: Make an offer for the amount the candidate desires – no less. Call the candidate first and let them know an offer is coming their way via email.
9. Touch Base Prior to First Day of Work: Usually there is a 2 weeks gap from when an offer is accepted to their first day – calm their nerves by sending them an email the week before with what they can expect their first day, what to wear, and what they need to bring to be prepared.
10. On-boarding: This is the new employee’s FIRST impression working for the company. On-boarding should be structured and clean. The workstations should be up and running, introductions to the teams made, a department lunch is nice, and throw in some swag too! Dedicate the entire first day of their employment to showing them the company CARES that they joined the team!

It is our hope to partner with companies to resolve long and costly staffing issues in order to push the company forward. Whether a company has an internal HR team or not – these ongoing issues cannot be fixed overnight.