“Hire Slow and Fire Fast” is a saying you may have heard before but perhaps not one that should be taken too literally in today’s employment market.
This is because the second most likely reason for someone to reject your job offer is a slow recruitment process or a delayed decision (the first being a low financial offer).
Whilst I entirely agree in terms of your recruitment progress needing to be rigorous, it must be conducted with velocity.
To avoid cutting corners whilst maintaining pace in the process, we recommend you do the following:
Do the things that take a long time well ahead of engaging candidates in your process, such as:
Writing a detailed, outcome-based Job Profile
Preparing your interview questions and scorecard
Understanding the values and behaviours required for cultural fit and how you will test these
Deciding who will do interviews and when by
Interview good candidates as you become aware of them, don’t stockpile CVs to go through in bulk
Conduct several interviews to keep momentum in the process:
Telephone interview to qualify
Teams or Zoom meeting to pre-screen
First face to face interview to test suitability and fit (this stage may also include psychometric test/GIA/practical assessment)
Second face-to-face interview to engage, sense check and possibly offer subject to references
Take references
Make your offer quickly:
Over the phone
Quickly followed up with an email
Simultaneously with a written contract in the post
Stay in touch
Reduced risk doesn’t have to mean reduced speed, and winning your choice of candidate in a fast moving market will most likely come down to your time to act.
Maybe the new saying should be “Hire Fast and Thorough” and if done properly the need to fire shouldn’t be an alternative (84% of our candidates are still in post after 12 months, proving how a rigorous process delivers long term results).
To find and select great people for your business, give us a call on 01530 833825, or email us at customers@europrojects.co.uk