The steps for an ideal recruitment

Recruitment is a task that poses a problem for many recruiters today, and that's where you come in. 

Poor recruitment can generate multiple tensions for your client's company in terms of missed opportunities, tensions between employees, and more broadly a loss of time and money due to an imprecise strategy.

But what exactly is recruitment? The Society for Human Resource Management defines the recruitment and talent acquisition process as "the process of attracting and recruiting the best available talent who fill the right position and work according to specific requirements ."

Thus, the best headhunters develop a clear and precise strategy to attract new candidates, find word-of-mouth referrals , and reach the best talent.

As we will see, the recruitment process is not limited to posting job offers and conducting interviews. In this article, you will find a good way to optimize your strategy and gain a tactical advantage over your competitors.

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Step 1: Clearly define your recruitment needs before starting the selection process 

Before filling a position, ask yourself a few questions: Why does this position need to be filled ? What are you trying to achieve? What mindset are you looking for in a candidate?

You need to know what you expect from a position, and not let the candidate decide for you. Flexibility is always a valuable asset – but defining the job parameters will help your search and narrow down the number of candidates you consider.

During this initial stage, you must prioritize essential and optional skills. It's also at this point that it's relevant to consider the professional experience you want the candidate to have.

To help you understand these needs, it is obviously recommended to consult your client's recruitment manager and other members of your team to see what type of profile would best fit in and match the company's values.

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Step 2: Writing an effective job posting that accurately reflects the desired position 

Several key elements must be included in a job posting to attract the best candidates. As it stands, your need likely corresponds to a profession for which candidates have common expectations; therefore, it is essential to thoroughly understand the candidates' needs in order to write the offer that best suits them.

Be descriptive , specific , and generate enthusiasm for your employer brand . Highlight the results you expect from this position, not just the required skills. This will pique the candidate's interest and attract highly skilled workers who want to make a difference in their next role.

Eliminate anything superfluous from your job description, as well as any specific requirements that could be quickly met on the job. A list of specific software is a good example. It's often better to choose someone versatile and a quick learner rather than a specialist in a single program with rigid skills.

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Step 3: Sourcing candidates: a specific skill

Once you have written a compelling and precise announcement, it is now up to you to communicate using effective channels to avoid targeting the wrong audience.

However, it is true that this step can seem very time-consuming, even more so nowadays with the myriad of methods for finding potential candidates; pure internet search , use of social networks or job advertisements to name just a few.

Using LinkedIn can be a good first step towards diversification. To be effective, refine your own company page, use the application's internal messaging system in a personalized way, participate in specific groups, and finally, take advantage of the advanced LinkedIn Recruiter tool.

Beyond these tips, keep in mind that maintaining a well-organized and user-friendly database is essential for a smooth recruitment process. For this, consider Applicant Tracking Systems ( ATS ) , which are candidate tracking software programs that automate the hiring process.

These ATS software, like Marvin Recruiter , can notably scrape a LinkedIn page to automatically copy candidate data into the ATS , track each candidate's history across the firm, and even integrate with other tools you use daily, such as Google Calendar or Slack.

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Step 4: Sorting and pre-selecting candidates 

At this pre-selection stage, the aim is to identify the various criteria to be considered when evaluating candidates and selecting them for interviews. In other words, the goal is to identify candidates who meet predetermined professional qualifications and to verify the information they provide.

Using a good pre-employment test or assessment before inviting a candidate for an interview can help you streamline your process and eliminate some interview questions. The type of tests and assessments you use will depend on the position.

You can use a battery of personality , cognitive , aptitude, and specialized skills tests to determine the potential employee's capabilities. Generally, you assess their knowledge , skills , and abilities to ensure they are a good fit for the position.

At this stage of recruitment, it is common practice to use HR project management software specifically designed for initial screening . Many recruiters use such solutions to identify the use of specific keywords in the CV in order to quickly identify suitable skills as part of a preliminary filtering process before an interview.

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Step 5: The first direct contact with candidates 

It's important to remember that as headhunters, you often don't have the upper hand with candidates, who are becoming increasingly scarce in the market. Therefore, it's crucial to approach candidates intelligently so they don't slip through your fingers due to the slightest misstep on your part.

Therefore, a first piece of advice would be to carefully craft your initial messages, as first impressions are crucial . It's at this stage that preconceptions are formed, and the information you include in your introductory message will influence the candidate's decision to trust you going forward.

Therefore, you want your first message to be clear , convincing , and engaging from the outset. To achieve this, consider including the employer's value proposition , personalization for each candidate, relevant additional information incentive for a quick response, and your clearly written contact details .

Furthermore, a second approach that has often been successful is to contact your future employees on multiple channels , using an ATS or integrations with tools like Waalaxy.

These prospecting tools will allow you to automatically send qualified leads on LinkedIn and by email (automatic mailing campaigns, invitation requests, sending group messages…) to easily find new candidates.

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Step 6: Conducting interviews effectively 

The interview is the cornerstone of your recruitment process. To be effective, it needs to be planned in advance and meet certain mandatory requirements. However, remember that each recruiter must personalize their interview to make it as authentic as possible.

However, be sure to first take the time to introduce yourself before accurately describing the position in question and the company context in which the candidate could work.

Next, take stock of the technical skills acquired by the candidate during their personal life as well as their behavioral skills during group situations that will show you how the candidate behaves in a team.

Taking stock of extracurricular activities can also be very interesting to reveal the personality and values ​​of your interlocutor.

Once you have obtained answers to all your questions, let your candidate ask their own questions and conclude the meeting with a summary of your "hot" exchange.

Finally, regarding format, be careful not to make your interviews too long, as you risk losing your candidate's attention. Several experts agree that the ideal interview length is between 45 minutes and 1 hour.

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Step 7: The recruitment decision 

Once the interview phase is complete, you should expect to have only two or three outstanding candidates. At this stage, it can be helpful to consult with your team members who conducted the interviews, if you didn't do them alone. A collective decision is always fairer than an individual one.

If one of the candidates stands out in particular because he has met the most hiring criteria or because you got along particularly well with him, now is the time to make your choice. 

Once you've done that, be sure to contact them again as soon as possible so they don't choose one of your competitors in the meantime. Don't forget to send a personalized response to unsuccessful candidates; this will be greatly appreciated.

If negotiations do begin with your first choice, this is precisely the moment to play your final cards. All the perks you can offer, however trivial, should be presented, such as a company car, a gym membership , flexible hours for work-life balance, the possibility of working remotely , etc.

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As you've probably gathered, recruitment is an art in itself, and mastering all its intricacies is crucial. The current recruitment market is very competitive , requiring you to adopt a strategic approach to achieve your goals.

From adopting a structured recruitment process is essential to finding the ideal candidate.

And Marvin has understood this problem very well since he offers you his ATS software Marvin Recruiter sourcing stage thanks to LinkedIn integration and AI.

Looking to optimize your recruitment process? Save time and hire more qualified candidates who better suit your needs by choosing Marvin! Get a free quote here .

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