Effective Recruitment Process – Where to Start?

The recruitment process is an organized and coordinated set of actions aimed at acquiring, selecting, and hiring suitable employees for a company. It involves searching for and evaluating candidates who will meet the requirements of a given job position. Therefore, it’s not surprising that this process can be stressful for both parties involved.

Today’s post is primarily intended for HR professionals, entrepreneurs, and managerial staff, but it will also be a valuable guide for job seekers or students who are researching the job market and seeking information about what skills and experiences are valued in the job market.

In this article, you will learn:

• What are the stages of the recruitment process?
• What is the profile of the ideal candidate?
• What does effective recruitment involve?
• How long does the recruitment process take?

Stages of Recruitment

You should start all recruitment activities with a job description. We’ve already written about this in one of the previous articles. This is an extremely important document. A job description efficiently attracts suitable candidates, prevents misunderstandings, and, most importantly, makes the recruitment process professional.

The employee hiring process is divided into:

• Internal recruitment, which involves searching for candidates already working in the company and then moving them to other positions or promoting them.
• External recruitment, which aims to find candidates outside the organization, for example, by posting job offers or candidate recommendations.

External recruitment is definitely more time-consuming than internal recruitment because it involves recruiting an employee you don’t know yet.

Employee Recruitment Process – Diagram

The employee recruitment process consists of several key and essential stages. We will try to explain the recruitment stages and describe what you should do at each step. The functions of recruitment are as follows:

1. Analysis of personnel needs. At the beginning, define the goal and requirements for the new employee. Emphasize the skills and experience you value. Then publish the offer. Which channels to use? Look for various solutions. Don’t settle for just one form of advertisement. Distribute your offer through: recruitment portals, professional networks, advertising portals, academic career offices. Act in social media as well.
2. Selection of received applications. At this stage of recruitment, you should analyze the application documents and select candidates who meet the basic requirements.
3. Initial contact. You reach a point where the employee recruitment process gains momentum. Before having a direct meeting with the future employee, you can (especially if you have many candidates) contact selected candidates by email or phone to give them additional tasks.
4. Qualification interview. It’s time for individual meetings with candidates – in person or via video call. During the interview, the candidate answers the employer’s questions, undergoes various competency tests, and performs additional tasks. At this stage of recruitment, the future employer, supervisor, HR staff, and even a coworker may participate. It’s also a time for the candidate to ask their own questions.
5. Verification. After selecting the candidate, you should verify the candidate’s documents such as: diploma, certificates from courses, language certificates. Equally important is to check if the future employee has the required medical examinations. If the candidate has declared references from previous employers, it’s also a good time to check their authenticity.
6. Feedback. Regardless of who the winning candidate is, everyone should receive feedback on the recruitment process. This good practice is not only a guide for future candidates but also reflects the high personal culture of the employer. It’s worth remembering.
7. Job offer and negotiations. After selecting the candidate, the employer makes them a job offer. During this conversation, the candidate has the right to negotiate the salary and scope of duties.
8. Signing the contract. It’s not just about signing documents. Employee recruitment doesn’t end here. The previous stages of recruitment aimed to select the employee. Now, when the job position has been filled, it’s time to introduce the new employee to the company. How to start work? HR specialists should present the new employee’s duties, integrate them into the team, and familiarize them with the company’s values ​​and goals. The goal is for the employee to feel good in the company, and consequently, to quickly and enthusiastically start performing their duties.

This is roughly what the employee recruitment process should look like. This scheme may, of course, look slightly different. It all depends on the individual needs of the employer. The most important thing is that recruitment is a positive experience for both parties. It’s a good opportunity for employers to care about the company’s good image.

Recruitment Process in a Company – Example of an Ideal Employee

An ideal employee, what is that? Every job position requires certain characteristics and skills from the candidate, but there are no perfect people, there are only suitable people in suitable positions.

Pro tip – consider which of your requirements for an employee are essential, which are desirable, welcome, or even unnecessary. Too high requirements can make the recruitment process significantly longer or – if the employment occurs – the candidate may resign from the job because they won’t feel satisfied with the work. Every employee, when starting a new job, gains experience and skills. This is an excellent opportunity for development.

How Long Does Employee Recruitment Take?

How long does the recruitment process take? The duration of the recruitment process can be influenced by many factors, such as: industry, nature of the position, company policy, and the availability of specialists. Typically, employee recruitment takes from several weeks to several months. However, remember that the employee hiring process should be effective above all. Haste can work against the company because it can lead to hasty decisions. Conversely, if the process is too long, it may discourage valuable candidates. Therefore, aim for balance.