When you have a role to fill, you probably want to fill it quickly, and with the right person. Do it, and it’s like achieving the holy grail of hiring. But if you’ve ever hired anyone, you know it’s tough to do.
It’s not completely because of the talent shortage, or the nuances of human nature. Sometimes, it’s because we unknowingly make mistakes that can keep positions open longer, or have us focusing on the wrong candidate. There’s one big mistake you might be making before you even write the job description.
Read on to learn more about that and more ideas to avoid other common hiring mistakes. Then you’ll clear your path to finding your ideal hire, faster.
Clarify who should really do the work
Nearly six out of 10 jobs take over three months to fill. In contrast, you can engage a freelancer in just three days. So before you start crafting that job description, think about the work again, then make absolutely clear whether an in-house employee or a freelancer is the best fit. Ask yourself:
- What qualities and skills are essential for the job?
- Is there a regular need for these skills or is it more project-specific?
- Does this person need to be closely managed or can the work be done independently?
- Is the workload and budget sustainable long term?
Remove hiring speed bumps
When searching for a permanent employee, delays in the hiring process can cause you to lose great candidates to your competition. Few companies can afford that risk. Here are a few possible ways to streamline your hiring process:
- Consolidate paperwork by including consent forms, references, and other relevant paperwork in the initial application process
- Establish a process for quickly accessing and reviewing résumés
- Conduct any required skills assessments before scheduling interviews
- Limit the number of candidate interviewers to only key decision-makers
Reduce onboarding time
Likewise, when onboarding a freelancer, faster is better. Because it helps ensure they’re still available at the project start. And it makes high-demand talent more apt to choose you over a company with a longer onboarding process. A smart way to shorten onboarding time is through automation. Solutions use a proprietary onboarding dashboard that customizes tasks to a company’s needs. Such as specific skills testing or background checks. This provides full visibility throughout the process, which reduces onboarding from an average of 60 days to just two days.
Go where the talent lives
If your work can be completed offsite by a freelancer, you may want to look outside of your local area. This gives you more choices, so you can hire someone with the ideal skills to help you innovate and grow—no matter where in the world that person resides. Ask for referrals within your network, search industry-specific job boards, and online marketplaces.
Bonus Tip: Delegate independent contractor compliance to the professionals
Part of hiring right—and hiring fast—includes protecting yourself from making costly mistakes. When hiring, it can sometimes be difficult to properly classify talent. Because independent contractor classification is based on the type of work being performed, how it’s done, where it’s done, and many other factors. Rather than risk misclassifying workers, delegate that responsibility to seasoned professionals. .
Successfully filling talent needs requires a balance of hiring speed with hiring accuracy. These easy-to-apply tips help you secure the right talent faster, so you can keep productivity humming along and your business goals on track.
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