What does it take to onboard new members of staff into a company? Application, interview, and employment. This is the answer you will get if you ask most people – even those already within a company system. However, from the day when people begin to apply for a job position to the moment when successful candidates sign their employment letter – lots of things need to be done, and that takes several weeks, maybe months. If you look at the hiring process from the outside, you will likely assume that the HR team is stalling or not going as fast as possible. However, there is more work involved in hiring than anyone can imagine. And this article aims to shed light on some of the reasons hiring in 2022 is much harder than it looks.
- Creating a Vacancy: The hiring process does not start when the HR team posts a job application. It starts long before a manager recognizes the need for a new team member. This need could surface before someone left the position they were occupying, and that position needs to be filled. It could also arise because the team is expanding, and more hands will be needed for efficiency. After the realization comes evaluation. The manager will need to develop the relevant skills and qualifications needed to fill the vacant role. What is the company’s budget for the person occupying that role? Is the budget competitive enough to poach the best talents? These are some questions that the manager will need to answer before the job position is released to the public. If these questions are not dealt with, there will be problems when the application goes live.
- Posting the Application: After creating a list of the requirements needed from the individual who will fill a vacant position, the next step is to send out an application. Depending on the company’s reach, this application can be posted anywhere – social media, job platforms, newspapers, etc. It can also be shared as an internal memo among staff members so that they can refer people they think will be a good fit for the job. Suppose the manager in the previous step does not create the proper requirements. The job application will attract many unqualified candidates, and the HR department might need to dismiss everyone and restart the application process. However, if (as it is in most cases) the requirements are correct, the recruitment team will still need to wait for another couple of weeks or months before they close the application. There are certain cases where you will need specific talents, say people from another region. You will need to hire a headhunter to find these talents in situations like these. You might also need to contract some of your HR processes to an employer of record. Employers of records will help you take care of your businesses’ legal and financial aspects for employees who live abroad.
- Screening Interested Applicants: When a job application gets closed, the next step for the recruiter is to check through all the applications they have received and find those who are qualified for the job. When a job vacancy is released, not everyone who applies will meet the requirements. It will be up to the recruitment team to choose how they want to eliminate candidates. If you are applying for a job, you need to make sure you add relevant keywords to your resume and cover letter if you want to be among the selected few. You can only tr, you’ll never know the basis which an HR uses to eliminate applicant. So, you must ensure that you obey all instructions when applying for a job. Screening several applications only to narrow down the number of initial applications is not a day’s job. You might need to take a week or more to do it all.
- Interview: After all the time, it’s will be finally great to meet some of your applicants. These people have impressed you with their applications. It is only fitting that you put a face to the applications. You invite your applicants for a meeting, and you have to schedule a time that will be ideal for both parties. Scheduling a perfect time becomes even more challenging when your interviewing team consists of several people with busy schedules. During the interview, the recruitment team will evaluate each candidate to see if they are a good fit for the job position. The interview will help reveal the right person whose personal values and work ethics correlate with the company’s.
- Make an Offer: After interviewing several candidates, the interviewers can collaborate to decide which applicants will be the best fit for the job. So., the next step will be to contact this applicant and ask them to come for an offer. It is not advisable to get your hopes high at this point because sometimes, an applicant can turn down an offer if it does not meet their expectation. If your ideal candidate is already employed at another job, there is a huge possibility that they will want to negotiate your offer. When you eventually come to terms with whomever, you decide to pick. You can extend a handshake and close the hiring process.
You have seen a detailed explanation of how the hiring process works. The estimated number of applications for each job vacancy is 250, and if you factor this number into all the explanations above, it becomes clear. You get to understand why hiring in 2022 looks much harder than before.
