One of the most difficult aspects of the hiring process that employers must take into consideration and factor in to how they will carry out each stage is the issue of time. To be carried out successfully a set schedule by which to pace each step, from the development of the job description to the executive search and candidate sourcing strategy, and from the interview to the job offer. However, setting a time frame and pacing such a complicated process is far easier said than done and will take careful planning.
To begin with, employers must set up a timeframe. For this they will need to take into consideration just how much of the company’s time and resources they can afford to invest in these practices. Once such an assessment has been made then the allotted time will need to be effectively broken up to accommodate the time that each stage will require. For a start they will need to set aside time to interview individuals who work closely with the position in question in order to come to a good understanding of the duties and responsibilities it entails. This may take more or less time dependent upon just how far the role may reach. From here a decision must be made about the techniques that will be used in the executive search and candidate sourcing process. This is one area in which the employer will definitely need to learn to moderate their efforts. If they wanted to employers could keep these processes ongoing forever, and while it is important for employers to constantly be on the lookout for quality talent a line has to be drawn somewhere to keep things from getting out of hand and time being needlessly wasted.
When it comes to the interview stage of the process, once resumes have been collected an assessed, here employers will also have to learn to successfully manage their time. To start with time will need to be set aside for the employer to plan out their line of questions and follow up questions to ready themselves to adequately to assess the candidates. A small amount of time should be set aside before each interview as well to give the employer time to once again review and familiarize themselves with the candidate’s resume. Finally, employers must learn how to make effective use of the time spent in the interview itself. The most basic rule to follow here is to make sure that the candidate is made to do roughly 80% of the interview talking, leaving the employer the remaining time to ask their questions, answer the candidate’s questions, and provide the candidate with whatever information they may require.
It is also important that the employer decide beforehand just how many stages there will be to the interview process and what assessment methods they make use of. Here the employer will need to find a balance between being able to effectively assess the suitability of a candidate while at the same time not dragging out these processes unnecessarily. Learning how to successfully define and balance the use of their time in the hiring process is essential to seeing them through without wasting the company’s resources.
Published by Conselium Executive Search, the global leader in compliance search.
