It's time to streamline your hiring. Read these 5 tips for how to simplify the hiring process!
Long gone are the days of walking into stores to submit paper applications (and if you’re still doing that… keep reading). Convenience is now essential in hiring. Think about it- all consumers (even you) engage with modern, digital brands who offer effortless, online experiences, resulting in seamless, and oftentimes automated, purchase habits. In other words, when something is easy, you don’t give up on it.
If you’re hiring, you should take a page out of Amazon's book. With Amazon, it’s easy for consumers to quickly find what they want and checkout with minimal frustrations. When someone is reaching out to work for your business, the same rules should apply. Below are some tips to help you simplify your hiring process and increase your application rates.
1. Keep It Short and Sweet
If your job application takes more time to fill out than a trip to the DMV, it’s time for a trim. According to SHRM, 92% of people never even finish online job applications. Here’s a tip: apply to your own jobs so you can see just how pain-ful/less the process is. It’s time to eliminate the fluff and get down to what job seekers really want and need to know.
What job seekers want: Pay rate is the number one most important factor for hourly workers when it comes to looking for a job, so be sure to highlight that at the beginning of your hiring process.
What job seekers need: Oftentimes, the shorter the hiring process, the more applicants you’ll receive. In fact, to test this theory, The Home Depot increased online applications by 80% in 2017 when they cut down on their application process, asking those meat-and-potato questions and those questions only.
By simplifying the application process, you’re not just making life easier for candidates; you’re showing that you respect their time, and that goes a long way.
2. Keep it Digital and Mobile-Friendly
We can bet that the majority of your potential employees use their smartphone daily. Actually, 80-90% of hourly workers are reliant on their phones and tablets to search for jobs. So, why should job applications be stuck in the Stone Age (we’re pointing to everyone still using paper applications)? Go mobile-friendly and make sure people can apply to your jobs on the go.
There are so many technologies that can do the heavy lifting for you and streamline the hiring process, including mobile apps. The Juvo Jobs app is a great tool for employers to use to embrace a digital, hassle-free hiring process.
3. Eliminate the Need for Resumes
Resumes never tell the whole story, and just because they’ve become embedded into the hiring process doesn’t mean that you need to stick to the status quo. In fact, requiring a resume may be holding back potential talent from applying to your jobs, simply because those job seekers don’t have the right tools or skills to piece one together.
Our CEO, Mark Emery, says it best: “Resumes are no longer strong predictors of great talent. Employers should focus on hiring people, not pieces of paper.” Oftentimes, those you think would be a perfect fit based on their resumes are not at all. Try getting to know your candidates by communicating with them via a video chat or a phone call before hiring them instead– those personality hires are the backbone of great workplace environments.
And, if you still think requiring a resume is what’s right for your business, for goodness sakes, do not make candidates upload one and then make them type in the exact same information into a form. Nobody’s got time for that…
4. Don’t Overcomplicate Things
Ever heard of the law of diminishing returns? It’s the principle in which adding more units of input (like more steps to your hiring process in this case) no longer results in a proportional increase in output. Asking more questions, adding more interviews, or increasing the amount of people involved in the hiring process is not going to get you more applications.
Some companies have turned hiring into a complex, bureaucratic nightmare, but this doesn’t have to be you. Don’t waste your applicants’ time by beating around the bush– ask the hard hitting questions in the first interview.
Nothing kills a candidate’s enthusiasm like radio silence– respond to them in a timely manner, within the first few days of them reaching out. The quicker you move, the less likely you are to lose out on top talent to a competitor. And remember: more isn’t always better.
5. Make It Fun and Personable
Let’s not forget– the hiring process is a two-way street. Potential hires are evaluating you just as much as you're evaluating them, so why not make the whole process an enjoyable one.
Our favorite tip? Show off your company’s vibe with a short video, giving job seekers a behind-the-scenes look at your business. This not only gives you the opportunity to highlight why people would want to work for you, it also puts the ‘human’ back into HR. A lot more information can be seen in a video versus a boring old job description anyways. The Juvo Jobs app has this video component built in so you don’t have to worry about a thing!
The Bottom Line
Simplifying your hiring process isn’t just about making your life easier (though that’s a huge bonus). It’s about creating a better experience for everyone involved! Keep it brief, embrace modern day technology, ditch the resumes, and have fun. By following these tips, you’ll end up with a larger talent pool, happier hires, and a better business reputation.
Join the Juvo Network or become a Juvo partner today! Download the Juvo Jobs app to see local jobs in your neighborhood.
How to simplify the hiring process and streamline your hiring
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