The recruiting industry has changed so much over just the last few years. Emerging technology, innovating hiring strategies and new studies on social behaviors have all changed the way recruiters attract and identify top talent. This can leave hiring managers with a lot of questions. Below is a look at ten answers to some of the most common recruiting questions.

  1. When Should I Start Recruiting?

For startups, your recruiting strategies should begin as soon as you open for business, even if you are not ready to hire any new employees just yet. There are many things, such as company culture, job descriptions, and recruiting training that you should have in place before you even post your first job announcement. This is all part of your recruiting strategy.

  1. What Are the Best Sourcing Methods?

There are many effective sourcing methods, including online job boards, professional recruiters, and networking events, but the strategy that is most effective for many companies is employee referrals. Top companies like Google, Apple, and Microsoft all use employee referral as a leading sourcing method.  Good people know good people, right?

  1. What Is a Candidate Persona?

It is important to know exactly what your “ideal” candidate looks like, even before you start recruiting. A well-developed candidate persona that includes not just technical skills and educational requirements, but one that also lists characteristics, traits, and soft skills can help you filter through your applicants to find the right one for you.

  1. How Can I Evaluate Soft Skills?

Soft skills, such as interpersonal skills, communication skills, and emotional intelligence, are impossible to evaluate through a resume or even an interview. The best way to track these skills in your applicants is with employment assessment tests. These test can assess these skills efficiently and accurately.

  1. Is Recruiting Like Marketing?

Recruiting and marketing are very similar, except recruiters focus on the candidate, whereas marketers focus on the consumer. Both require you to promote your company and to establish a company brand message. Recruiters focus on relating to the candidate why working for your company will benefit them.

  1. Is HR Training Necessary?

Many companies make the mistake of not training their HR team. This mistake can cost you plenty in the end. HR training helps to streamline the recruiting process, which can reduce hiring costs, boost retention rates, and most importantly improve the quality of hire.

  1. Is Social Media Really Important?

Facebook alone now has more than 1.5 billion users. This is a huge audience that cannot be ignored. Social media is a must for all recruiters. The good news is that you can use these various social networks to reach a large candidate pool in a relatively short period of time.

  1. How Much Are the Average Recruiting Costs?

The Society for Human Resource Management lists the average cost-per-hire at just over $4,000. This includes both recruiting costs and onboarding expenses. You can expect to have a higher cost-per-hire for upper management and specialized positions.

  1. Should I Use Application Tracking Software?

The average corporate job attracts about 250 applications. This is a lot of prospective candidates to sort through – and this is just for one job. Application software will allow you to filter through these applications in an efficient manner to make the process more manageable. You can improve your odds even further by using pre employment assessments to narrow the field; doesn’t law school use the LSAT’s to choose the best to become lawyers?

  1. What Signs Should I Look for During an Interview?

Chances are that everyone you interview has the right experience, but that doesn’t mean they are the right fit for your company. Greg Brockman, from Stripe, explains the importance of interviews, “It’s difficult to tell the difference between someone who is good and someone who is great. Your interview should be focused on distinguishing the great from the good.”

Understanding the answers to these questions can help you transform your recruiting strategies and find higher quality job candidates. HUCAMA can help with this process. Not only do we offer effective and efficient employee assessment tests that can be customized to meet the specific demands of your organization, but we also train your HR team on how to execute and analyze these assessments.

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