How to Compress the Mess of Your Hiring Process
Time kills all deals – this adage is the relevant reality for anyone hiring right now. You would be hard-pressed to find a manufacturing company NOT currently hiring now – everyone needs more workers! However, have you considered how your hiring process is playing a role in this shaky dynamic? Is it possible some internal adjustments could help alleviate your warehouse’s labor shortage?
What Creates the Mess?
If drawn-out timing and disorganization are threaded throughout your hiring process, delays are inevitable. Just like at the airport, delays in your business are frustrating and can prevent you from reaching your plans on time. If companies can’t get through an interview process within a couple of weeks, they will consistently find themselves with open seats for their current roles. How does this confusion happen? Here are a few observations:
- There is no consistent or concrete hiring plan. Turnover and absenteeism are an increasing part of the warehouse and distribution center demographic. Employers are combating a turnover rate of 150%. Without a solid plan, your job openings go up, not down.
- A company uses the same job description from years ago (or worse, pulls a generic one off the internet). The market is ever changing, and job descriptions must connect with job seekers where they are at today, not five or ten years ago. Do you talk about updated benefits, flexible schedules, bonuses, or company culture? Think about the current pain-points and wants of job seekers today and address those in some shape or fashion in your description.
- Companies don’t know what their make or breaks are. Pinpointing the essential qualities for potential candidates before the interviews being makes a world of difference. When organizational steps are neglected, hiring teams end up recreating the wheel, so to speak, racking up time for every open position.
- They include people in the hiring process who already have a list of responsibilities a mile high. This adds another bottleneck layer to the entire process.
How to Compress the Mess
As the old saying goes, if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. If you don’t put continued effort into your hiring plans, you will lose out on quality candidates for your company time and time again. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to strengthen and bolster your strategy. When you know exactly what you are looking for and who is going to be involved in the process, a well-formed plan takes shape.
Let’s start at the top.
Job Details
What does your job description say you are looking for? Make it simple. If you need a minimum of two years of technician experience or a forklift certification, state that clearly for job seekers to see. But don’t neglect soft skills either. Communication and teamwork all have a place in your company culture – if collaboration is a staple in your business, spell that out clearly too.
Internal Roles & Plans
Define your internal roles – who needs to be involved and who doesn’t? A hiring process should include two or three key people who collaborate closely. Adding extras outside of that sphere contributes little to no value in the evaluation or the eventual success of the target hires.
Limit the interviews. In relation to the total number of meetings, the ideal is two to four total interviews (and that includes a company visit if applicable). In each conversation, consider these important steps:
- Schedule interviews promptly to keep candidates engaged and momentum rolling.
- Don’t forget about PTO. If your assigned interview team is not available on a timely basis, fall back interviewers should be identified and available to take their place.
When it comes to the actual interview, know your deal breakers – pick questions that dive deeper into your relevant (and updated) job description. For example, instead of just asking about their experience, ask detailed questions like:
- What is BOM and how is the term used? If they are in manufacturing and production, they should have a working knowledge of bill of materials.
- What’s the difference between just-in time and lean manufacturing?
- Instead of just “How did you face a challenging situation?” ask questions more like “if safety equipment is nowhere to be found or equipment is damaged on the line, how would you respond?”
The Key Ingredient
While alluded to earlier, it’s worth stating again. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate. Be timely and organized in your communication. Make notes in your ATS system so you remember important details about a candidate’s schedule or interests. Create calendar reminders and schedule emails in advance. Don’t make candidates wonder if you are interested or not – make sure they know beyond a shadow of a doubt they are valued – keep them in the loop.
Control What You Can Control
These ideas will polish and refine your process. But we know this isn’t a magic formula. Every company has different needs, and everyone’s flavor of culture varies. But the more effort you put in on the backend of your hiring process, the better you set yourself up for success to have every seat filled for every position.
Looking for support in compressing your process or finding the right hires for your business? Take a look at our workforce solutions today?
Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter or check out our latest blogs and resources.
Related Articles
Inflation + Salaries: Is the Sum a Problem or an Opportunity?
4 Benefits of Hiring Temporary Workers and Converting Them to Permanent Employees