4 Smart Tips to Hire Better and Faster

The first quarter of every year is often when the most hiring occurs. Here are some tips you can easily add to your hiring strategies so that you can draw more qualified candidates and quickly narrow your choices to the ones who best fit your needs and company culture:

Use Your Social Media Status. Recent studies show more and more job seekers check social media for opportunities, with 83% being active on Facebook, 36% on LinkedIn and 40% on Twitter. Share news that you are hiring, ideally with a link to your company page that details the open position. You can also reach out to targeted people in your network to let them know about any open positions.

Create a Candidate Wish List. We understand that for most employers, the new hire was needed yesterday. Avoid rushing into the hiring process with poorly developed job posting up on a random smattering of job boards. Instead, take time to identify exactly what you are looking for in the role, and develop a job ad. While you won’t necessarily post it in its entirety, it will at the very least give you a visible outline of the skills, qualifications, experience and even personality you are looking for, and even help you determine the right questions to ask when you interview candidates.

Ask Probing Questions. Behavioral interviews have become a fundamental part of talent acquisition for companies that prioritize retention. Because past behaviors are great indicators of future behavior, learning about past performance can provide great insight on whether the candidate is a good fit, what motivates them, and where they can excel within your company. For example, to assess whether or not your interviewee is a team player, you can ask, “If you were to choose a favorite team project you have been part of in the past, what would it be, and what was your role in it?”

Do Due Diligence. Once you have selected your top candidates, make the most of their reference checks. Reference checks do more than mitigate risks and ensure your candidates are forthcoming about their work history and character, they can also help you be more effective in onboarding your new hire. Think of it as gathering intel on how to help your new hire succeed by learning about their strengths, motivators, work habits and even areas for improvement.