The 5 Stages Of Hiring For Hiring Managers
Oh the joys of hiring… ask any busy Founder, manager or business owner, the hiring process can be an exciting but stressful time. However, we’re here to help keep it simple. We have broken up the 5 key stages all hiring managers should be aware of and provided some handy tips to assist in making it a smooth ride for all.
We know you are busy and your to do list is overflowing, that’s why you need more hands on deck, so we have kept this short and snappy for you. Let’s get started!
Stage 1 – Planning
It is super important for both parties (candidate and hiring manager) to be on the same page from the very beginning. This all starts with planning (well, hopefully, it does!). Hiring managers should be on the pulse of all upcoming opportunities they require as a business and start preparing the necessities. For example, the budget, position descriptions, what the interview process will look like and a rough timeline for when this will all happen. You might have heard the saying ‘practice makes perfect’. Well, we’re here to spin a slightly different story: it’s planning that makes perfect!
Stage 2 – Attracting Talent
Next up, it’s time to pop on your marketing hat and start attracting awesome new talent. The truth is in a candidate-short market, simply putting up an ad on Seek and sitting back to watch the resumes of qualified candidates roll in is not a viable hiring strategy. As a hiring manager, this is the time to either link arms with the team at Hunt & Co. or get ready to put your head down and spend the hours it takes to build a strong pipeline of candidates. This stage has a lot of different components to it, including but not limited to, presenting an attractive employer brand that candidates want to work for and pooling great talent through job advertising, asking for referrals, leveraging your established networks, attending industry events, headhunting and direct messaging candidates on LinkedIn that tick all your new role boxes.
Stage 3 – The Interviewing
You’ve made it! Once you have pipelined some great candidates and shortlisted the very best, it’s time to book the all-important interviews! Are you ready to really get to know your potential new team members? No hiding behind a phone call, it’s time for you to understand all that this candidate has to offer your company. But just importantly, this is also a crucial time where you have to sell yourself and the company too. Gone are the days were interviewing goes one way, candidates now are assessing whether your business is a place they want to work too. We find asking some of these questions helpful:
- Why are you looking for a new role?
- What are the three most important factors you are seeking in your next role?
- What has your previous work experience been like?
- Give me an example of a time where you had to act with very little planning or achieved something you are proud of within your previous roles?
- What stresses you out and how do you manage your stress?
- What have been your career highlights so far?
- Is there anything that you feel is important that we haven’t discussed?
Note: if the role has a specific set of skills required (they normally do), be sure that they are addressed at this stage of the hiring process.
Stage 4 – Candidate Selections
Selecting candidates would have to be the pinnacle of the hiring process. After those initial stages of reviewing job applications, making screening calls and of course, the interview, it’s time to start making decisions. At this stage, we suggest diving into pre-employment skills tests, scheduling any follow-up interviews if needed and reviewing your candidate’s reference checks to ensure you are hiring the best candidate for the role.
Stage 5 – Make The Offer
Lastly, but most excitingly is the offer stage. Once you have locked in your rockstar, it’s time to make sure they prepared with all the information they need to take that next step in their career. Don’t overlook this stage, communication has to be clear in regards to expectations, starting dates and of course salary. This is also where negotiations will start, but don’t let this scare you away.
Once all that paperwork is out of the way, grab a bottle of bubbles (or maybe just a coffee / chai latte if it’s only 10 AM…) because it’s time to celebrate!
And just like that (well, kind of…), you are ready to start onboarding your new employee. Congratulations.
Still feeling a little overwhelmed? Perhaps you just don’t know where you are going to find the hours in the day to find your next team member. Lucky for you, finding star candidates is our full-time job. Contact us today.
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