Archive for category: HR Solutions

• • Have up to date job templates for frequently hired positions in place and then use them as a base from which to create more specific job listings
  • Use the job listing as an opportunity to set clear expectations about role requirements so that certain candidates self-select out of the process if its clear it won’t be the right fit
  • Create a Job Success Factors page to accompany the job description to paint a more vivid picture about a day in the life of this position

• Use an applicant tracking system to simplify the process of posting to multiple external job boards at once
• Take advantage of tools such as Hootsuite that allow you to post to multiple social networking profiles at once
• Utilize an integration within your recruiting software to automatically post status updates when new jobs are posted or update your company’s Facebook Jobs app
• Harness the power of employee referral by making it easy for applicants to name a referring employee during the application process

• Set aside blocks of time throughout your week dedicated to application review so it doesn’t fall by the wayside
• Use filters attached to job-specific screening questions to quickly view only applicants that meet basic qualifications
• Have a comprehensive list of applicant status codes or dispositions already in place so that its easy to assign and continuously update applicants’ place in the hiring process

• Based on the number of applications received, know in advance about how many prescreens you plan to do
• Use a headset/Bluetooth while on the call and take notes electronically – this saves time in having to type handwritten notes later. Notes can be entered directly into an applicant’s record in an ATS, or into a Word file that can be attached to an applicant’s record

• Keep applicants engaged in the process by setting expectations with them throughout the process about when to expect to hear from you again.
• To save having to retype the same types of messages to different applicants, have your “canned” text saved in a plain text editor on your computer or take advantage of email templates in your ATS

Prepare notes & feedback

• Use a form or otherwise standardize the manner in which you present candidate information to others – people will get used to quickly looking in certain places for certain information
• Highlight applicants who are the best prospects to hiring managers by sharing their electronic records – keep it timely by requesting others’ response by a certain date/time in your notes or subject line

• Discover how your candidates are hard-wired and utilize reports generated from validated employee assessments that suggest potential in-house interview questions
• Use tools that can be embedded at the point of employment application or sent to candidates via email later in the selection process
• Depending on the tool used, look into whether or not candidate scores can be appended to your main applicants’ electronic records

• Request access to the calendars of others involved in the hiring process internally so that you may quickly see when they are/aren’t available
• At the onset of the hiring process, reserve blocks of time on potential interviewers’ calendars in advance so that you know you can count on them tentatively being available during those times (even if it is a few weeks out)
• Utilize video conferencing tools (i.e. basic ones could include Skype, Google Hangouts or GoToMeeting to name just a few) to schedule interviews earlier than they might be otherwise if the candidate were to have to travel to your office

• Have a consistent form or set of questions for stakeholders involved in the interviewing process to answer for each candidate
• Take advantage of electronic surveys and/or rating systems built into applicant tracking software for this very purpose

• Engage applicants by proactively communicating to them about their status in your selection process
• This can be done quickly by using email templates that include personalization strings (to populate the first name of the person and the position to which he/she applied, for example) and the ability to update applicant records in mass groupings within an ATS

Extend conditional offer of employment

• Again, have a template for the language you typically use in offer letters/packages ready to go in an existing template
• Give the candidate a clear deadline for responding
• Explain the process of collecting information necessary to conduct background/reference checks, etc. in advance to the candidate should he/she accept

• Utilize a web-based form for collecting information necessary to run checks…embed the URL address for the secure form into a template in your ATS and quickly invite applicants right from the applicant record
• Alternatively, check if your provider has a web services integration with your background check and/or reference check resource

• Create an email distribution list of all the employees in your organization who should be involved in the onboarding of a new employee – that way, a quick message and/or checklist can be initiated with these people when the time is right simply by emailing one address
• Incorporate employee onboarding software into your process so that, based on the division to which the new employee is hired, the appropriate staff members are automatically prompted of onboarding process and receive notification when new hire paperwork forms must be approved and/or electronically countersigned

Finalize start date details with new hire

• Communicate with new hire to confirm start date and if onboarding software is in place, go ahead and explain that applicant will be receiving email prompting him/her to login and approve and sign various employment paperwork files