The Recruitment Process in 7 Steps
Talent acquisition and recruiting strategies help organizations find high-quality candidates
who align with their needs, values and goals. An effective recruiting process is essential
for businesses that want the best possible candidates for open positions. If you work in human
resources or recruiting, it's important to understand how to optimize recruitment to boost
retention and improve the quality of hires.
In this article, we discuss how to strengthen your recruiting process to find the right candidates
for your team.
What is recruitment?
Recruitment is the process of finding and hiring qualified employees to fill open positions in
a company. Recruiters, human resources managers, hiring managers or talent acquisition
specialists generally conduct recruiting activities. Large companies usually have
recruiting departments whose primary role is developing job postings and reaching candidates.
In smaller companies, department managers may be directly responsible for recruiting their
own new staff members, or the owner may oversee recruitment.
The recruitment process includes every stage of obtaining new employees, from planning
what to include in a job posting to the interview process. Research and outreach are
important to recruiting efforts, as recruitment can involve proactively targeting passive
candidates who suit company needs or evaluating submitted applications to find the most
qualified candidates.
The 7 steps of the recruiting process
Here are the seven steps to an effective recruitment process:
1. Planning
During the planning phase, you determine what the company needs are and develop the
job description and specification for each open position. Job descriptions include the duties
and responsibilities the company expects the employee to perform. Job specifications,
conversely, outline the qualifications and experience necessary for them to accomplish the
work. You build the job description and specification through a combination of management
input and analysis to ensure it meets company goals. Determine if the role is permanent or
temporary, full- or part-time and what training, compensation and performance evaluation may
be like.
You might also consider where the role ranks in the organization and what potential a
dvancement paths are available. It's important to describe both the technical skill and
soft skills required to efficiently meet the work expectations. The specifications can help
you determine what to look for in an ideal candidate, how to approach interviews and
what to include in a compensation package. You can also consider if the job takes place
on-site or in a virtual environment.
2. Strategy development
The recruitment strategy outlines how you plan to find candidates to fill the position. At this
stage, you can assign people to the recruiting team, like recruiters or talent acquisition
specialists and hiring managers from the department. You can then determine where to
advertise the position. Consider whether you're exclusively sourcing local candidates or if
you're open to remote candidates located anywhere, and adjust your strategy accordingly.
If you're promoting a job outside of the company's local area, decide ahead of time if you're
offering relocation assistance to encourage more candidates to apply.
You might use a combination of methods to advertise the job and identify potential candidates,
such as job fairs, online postings, recruitment agencies or career centers on college campuses.
Each type and source of recruiting requires different resources, including cost and time
investments. Your approach to recruiting also depends on your market and goals.
For example, if competitors are hiring primarily candidates with advanced degrees,
you might refine your strategy to target master's degree program graduates.
3. Search
Once you've strategized and built a plan, you can begin actively seeking candidates.
Many companies use a combination of internal and external sources for attracting candidates.
Internal recruitment methods are those that invite current and former employees to apply for
transfers, promotions or new opportunities within the company. Recruiters may also consider
other qualified leads like employee referrals and previous candidates.
External hiring sources include any recruiting method where you're looking outside the
organization. Examples of external sources include employment agencies, advertisements,
campus recruiting, direct recruiting and professional associations.
4. Screening
The screening process is the act of narrowing the pool of candidates and selecting
candidates to progress to interviews. Screening involves reviewing resumes and
cover letters to separate unqualified candidates from those who align with
your needs. Evaluate each candidate's education, certifications, work experience
and previous achievements against your requirements and specifications to learn
who might be a match. Some recruiters use applicant tracking system (ATS)
software to screen applications and identify applications with desired characteristics
and keywords. Some hiring managers also have candidates complete psychometric
or skills testing to evaluate their competencies, personality traits and work styles.
Once you've narrowed down your candidates, contact them about the position through
email or telephone. Some recruiters often conduct a 15- to 20-minute phone screening
to verify that the candidate is still pursuing the position, determine their availability and
set up a time for preliminary questions. The screening can also help you clarify
the candidate's skill set, education and salary expectations.
5. Interviews and selection
Next is the interview stage, which can occur in-person or virtually. During this
phase, recruiters and managers meet with selected candidates to learn more
about their backgrounds, goals and skills. They also ask questions to determine
if the candidate can be a cultural fit with the company. The interview process may
involve more than one interview, depending on the number of candidates, the size
of the organization and the demands of the role. Some larger companies, such as
colleges and government agencies, may conduct panel interviews, which involve
multiple interviewers speaking with one candidate.
Interview questions vary, but they often focus on how the candidate responds to stress,
how they apply their skills and background, how they view themselves as team members
and what they're looking for in an employer. For highly specialized or technical roles,
hiring managers may ask questions that test candidates' understanding of key
industry concepts. Recruiters and leaders then deliberate to select a final candidate.
Before making an offer, employers run background checks, verify employment details
and contact references. Verifying information is important, as it confirms that your
chosen candidate communicates honestly and aligns with your policies and
expectations.
6. Job offer and onboarding
The next step is officially offering your preferred candidate the position. At this stage,
provide an offer letter that includes the start date, compensation, working hours
and performance expectations. Consult with an attorney to learn of the legal verbiage
to include in a letter and enforce deadlines for the candidate to sign the letter. If you're
using an employment agency, recruitment firm or search consultant, coordinate with
them, as they extend the job offer to the candidate.
If the candidate accepts the offer, offer comprehensive onboarding to welcome
them. Onboarding helps your new hire learn about the company's culture and prepare
for their employment. It also includes a plan of performance expectations during the
new employee's first few months, which helps them focus and understand how the
company is evaluating their work.
7. Evaluation of the recruitment process
The final stage of the recruitment process is to analyze the effectiveness of your
recruiting methods. By closely examining the process, you can determine your
satisfaction with the candidates that you recruited, the cost-effectiveness of the
recruiting methods and ways you could improve your process in the future.
You can use statistical analysis to assess your costs, time spent and requirements
to determine the effectiveness of your decisions. You can also use qualitative
measures, such as surveys asking recruiters and managers about their experiences
with the process.
