I like to think recruitment should be straightforward. You find a strong candidate, or you work with a solid company, and it largely sells itself. But that’s not always the reality.
Finding good people today takes time, energy, and money. Some roles are easy to fill. Others are, frankly, a nightmare.
A few simple ways to make the process easier:
Start sooner rather than later
It doesn’t always work like this. Sometimes someone hands their notice in, and you’ve got a month to react. But where you can, spend an hour a week keeping an eye on the market. See who’s out there, what they’re doing, and what they’re capable of. Speak to candidates, speak to recruiters, and have honest conversations. Build a running list of people and what they do.
Meet more people than you think you should
Within reason, of course. I work off a “55% rule”. If someone covers around 55% of the spec and you can see potential, speak to them. If they’re close and you can work with it, meet them.
Make your roles easy to find and apply for
If you’re hiring, your roles should be visible on your website and simple to apply to. Then respond, ideally within 24 hours, even if it’s just to acknowledge.
Time kills deals
The biggest loss in recruitment is time. Candidates expect a response within 24 hours. 48 at a stretch. Beyond that, the good ones have usually moved on.
Where hiring processes fall, it’s often one or more of the above. Sometimes all of them. Recruitment is frustrating, it’s hard work, and it takes energy. A lot of people avoid dealing with it properly.
There’s no magic formula. No silver bullet. No database or platform that fixes it for you.
You either do it properly, or you don’t.
This is what we do every day.