Finding the right candidate for a vacancy can be tough. If a company struggles to find the perfect match for a job opening, it is probably because the whole sourcing process was flawed from the start.
In this article, we’ll guide you through the main challenges of the hiring process and give some tips we tried and tested by ourselves. Avoid common mistakes, use our lifehacks, and your talent search will shorten from months to a few days.
The hiring process shouldn’t be a guessing game. One of the vital steps to successful hiring is to start with shaping your Ideal Candidate Profile (ICP).
With an image of your ideal candidate, you reduce the likelihood of a bad hire. Besides, you become able to negotiate salaries more effectively. An ICP is particularly helpful when you need more details about:
The good news, you don’t need to rack your brain to fill the candidate profile template. We'll show you how to create an ICP in record time using ChatGPT prompts.
Prompt 1. Learn about Job Duties:
Describe what a successful [position] in [your industry] will be doing on a typical day in 2024. Explain their duties, what's expected of them, and their long-term goals.
Prompt 2. Learn about Hard Skills:
What are the most important hard skills needed for [the position] in 2024?
Prompt 3. Learn about Soft Skills:
What is a Big 5 personality profile for a successful [the position], including some indicative T-score average ranges?
Prompt 4. Learn about Motivation:
What type of motivation underpins the great performance of a [the position]? Please outline the individual satisfaction levels and potential retention challenges in bullet points.
Prompt 5. Learn about Experience:
How many years should a [the position] be in the field of [your industry]? Any specific [industry] background or previous roles that would be a plus?
Prompt 6. Learn about Success factors:
What are the critical success factors for a [the position]?
Additionally, you can visualize the ICP. Find templates for “user personas” and customize them for candidate personas. Consider a whiteboard from graphic design tools like Canva.
The next step in the recruitment process is to craft a good job description. Many companies make the same mistake of simply listing the job duties. However, a vacancy announcement should be treated as an ad that cuts through the noise of similar-looking job adverts.
To create an effective job description, make sure to:
If you feel stuck, search for online templates at career sites or talent recruitment platforms. By the way, you can find more ideas from our list of typical mistakes in job descriptions that ruin the first impression.
Talent search is associated with job postings on job boards, but it goes far beyond that. There are two approaches to recruiting: external and internal sourcing.
External sourcing means recruiters look for potential candidates from outside of their organization, whereas internal sourcing means you promote employees to the position from the existing staff.
Depending on the vacancy specifics, you can choose from different talent acquisition method, such as:
Once you start hiring on a large scale, you will probably receive tons of resumes. You should know how to manage such a massive flow of information and, more importantly, effectively analyze it. Storing your candidates’ CVs can turn into a robust talent database.
To simplify your hiring process, consider implementing an efficient Human Resource Information System (HRIS). HRIS platforms offer a seamless, efficient, and organized method to manage recruitment activities, elevating the overall efficiency of HR teams.
If you are on a tight budget, consider free and affordable alternatives that can be customized according to your recruiting strategy.
For example, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, traditionally used in sales, can also be used for talent management. Platforms like HubSpot allow the tracking of up to one million candidates freely, which proves to be a goldmine for HR operations.
The average recruiter, faced with a towering pile of resumes, takes only six seconds per resume. At such lightning speed, how do you not overlook great candidates? This is where tools come into play. What you do is shortlist your applicants automatically by keywords on their resumes.
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and AI-powered tools identify candidates who match specific job requirements through keyword analysis. This approach not only saves time but also ensures that no suitable candidate slips through the cracks.
You can use AI and your ATS to quickly filter and find relevant resumes. This can be particularly useful when short on time or dealing with high-volume recruitment.
Probably, the toughest part of the recruitment process is managing communication with dozens of people at a time. Luckily, there are tools allowing recruiters to do all the hassle efficiently.
For example, bulk email sending allows you to reach out to many candidates while maintaining a personal touch. CRMs and ATSs usually have such features by default. You can set up an email template to respond to candidates in bulk. Each email will include each candidate’s name and details instead of placeholders.
Use the following prompt with ChatGPT to create the template:
"Please, generate a professional and engaging email template I can use to reach out to candidates for [Position Title]. Include placeholders for the candidate’s first name, the position title, and a summary of the role. The email should be written in a friendly tone of voice. The email body should include a clear call-to-action for the candidate to schedule an interview or respond with their availability. Close the email politely, and include a line inviting them to ask additional questions."
By the way, don’t forget to provide job rejections as well. Although it's up to every company individually, it is considered good manners to inform candidates they are off the shortlist.
Think about how to collect all required information and schedule interviews in a single step at the early stages. A few hacks can help you do it quickly and effectively:
Add an FAQ section to increase candidates’ engagement.
A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on your careers page can significantly bolster candidate retention. Addressing questions like application process timelines, remote work options, updates on position availability, and opportunities for interns and new graduates can prevent applicant drop-offs.
Ask candidates to fill out a quick survey.
Modern job seekers, especially from Gen Z, prefer not to spend more than 15 minutes on applications. That’s why the application process shouldn’t be complicated. In addition to the resume, ask candidates to fill out a quick Google Form. Request only essential information at the start: contact details, qualification level, social media profiles, core value alignment, and salary expectations.
Let candidates schedule interviews by themselves.
Use time management tools such as Calendly, GoodTime, or FreeBusy for candidates to pick the interview hours themselves. This approach can help you reduce the back-and-forth of emails. Besides, with self-scheduling, the candidate will feel independent yet important.
Source: Calendly
Balanced and respectful scrutiny of a candidate can help the hiring manager make a good choice while staying fair and on good terms.
Hard skills are likely to be revealed at the pre-interview stage during background checks. Before the interview, get ready with a checklist of what hard skills the potential candidate has – and which points you would like to clarify during a one-on-one interview.
Beyond technical competencies, soft skills can be helpful in certain roles. During job interviews, it’s quite common to assess communication abilities, teamwork, and adaptability.
Whatever method you choose to evaluate your candidate’s soft skills, – be it a brain teaser or a personality test – make sure to do it politely and check that the job seeker understands why you ask for it.
Tools such as Metaview or BrightHire can help organize and transcribe interviews, offering a way to review candidates' responses methodically. For cost-effective alternatives, simply recording interviews — with the candidate's consent — can be a valuable practice.
As the hiring team usually consists of highly busy professionals, the selection process may slow down for ages. The common issues in the decision-making phase are the following:
First, assign clear roles to minimize overlaps and confusion. Ensure the hiring staff have access to all necessary information and can comment on it.
To do so, use tools that encourage teamwork in candidate tracking. For example, Kanban boards simplify the visualization of applicants' statuses, making it a collaborative effort.
Besides, instead of getting back to chats and emails to recall something about a candidate, you can leverage all candidates’ information in an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Here, you can implement collaborative candidate tracking and monitoring of application updates.
Does onboarding mean the candidate is hired? You wish! It takes extra effort to successfully transition a new employee from a job offer to productive work. The following tips will help HR managers onboard employees smoothly:
Create a new employee onboarding program.
Build a structured roadmap for the initial week with project management tools like Trello, ClickUp, or Asana. For inspiration, check out this free employee onboarding template for Trello.
Have a new employee checklist for document collection.
Gather necessary documents (IDs, signed offer letters, etc.) before the first day using secure platforms like DocuSign or Adobe Sign.
To simplify data flow, consider using employee onboarding software or an HRIS system that aggregates employees' personal data, e-documents, benefits requests, and more. See how we do it in Juggl.
Adopt a 30/60/90 day plan.
Help the new employee manage information overload intelligently. The 30/60/90 Day Plan is a strategic approach focusing on goals and achievements. Break down goals into 30-, 60-, and 90-day increments with lists of resources to help employees accomplish their goals. Make sure to include:
You can also use the free Trello template for a 30-60-90-day onboarding plan.
First impressions are the most lasting, so a company needs to run the hiring process professionally. Modern technologies and AI simplify recruitment drastically, reducing time, money, and effort spent on talent search and hiring.
As companies grow, they require clarity to cut down on red tape and increase transparency. You can find more good hiring practices and strategies for building a healthy organizational ecosystem on the Juggl blog.
If you're unsure of what works best for your team, take a peek at how we do it at Juggl or consider a free consultation.
