There is nothing harder on employees than working in a perpetually understaffed organization. It’s a recipe for burnout, which can lead to increased absences and further strain on those who have to pick up the slack. This cycle can be difficult to break without the assistance of a hiring solution.

In addition to helping businesses address labor shortages, hiring solutions can improve the quality of hire, time to hire and other critical metrics. Various capabilities exist to fit any need, including recruitment management technology and analytics, recruitment training resources, screening and selection services, and recruitment process outsourcing (RPO).

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Challenges in hiring employees

A company can no longer post a job and wade through a mountain of resumes. Employers today need recruitment solutions that allow them to be flexible and creative if they want to overcome hiring challenges. Some of the more common obstacles include:

  • Tight labor markets
  • Labor shortages
  • Finding qualified talent
  • Effectively communicating with candidates
  • Outdated recruitment technology or tactics
  • Pay transparency laws
  • Poor candidate experiences

Importance of hiring the right employee

It may be tempting to hire quickly and settle for any candidate when a business is understaffed. But choosing someone who ultimately proves to be inefficient or unqualified can harm an organization in many ways. In addition to the expense of having to recruit and onboard a replacement, employers must consider related costs, such as:

  • Lost productivity
  • Additional supervision
  • Damaged client relationships
  • Diminished workforce morale

To reduce the risks of hiring the wrong candidate, employers should more clearly state job expectations, test candidates for tangible skills and conduct extensive background checks. All these tasks are part of the larger hiring process.

How does a hiring process work?

Having the right people available to work when needed is essential. But how does one get there? Many employers, supported by a hiring solution to help them remain agile and focused, take the following steps:

  1. Define hiring requirements
    Determine the types of employees needed, e.g., full-time, part-time, etc., and the experience, education and training they must have.
  2. Write a job description
    Clearly and concisely list the essential job functions and responsibilities, the qualifications required, the company’s mission and vision, etc. Depending on the state, it may also be necessary to include a pay range, among other things.
  3. Advertise the job opening
    Choose a medium that will reach multiple groups of candidates. Options include digital job boards, online advertisements, newspapers, trade journals, professional associations and career fairs.
  4. Prescreen candidates
    Review resumes and applications to see which candidates meet qualifications. Pre-employment questionnaires and assessments that gauge job-related knowledge can further narrow the pool of candidates.
  5. Conduct interviews
    Interview candidates via phone, video or in person. Ask only job-related questions and avoid any inquiries that would cause individuals to reveal protected characteristics, e.g., race, gender, etc.
  6. Extend an offer
    Confirm all the terms and conditions discussed with the selected candidate in a branded offer letter. Include everything from the job title and role expectations to salary, benefits and work location.
  7. Check references and background history
    Conduct pre-employment screenings in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and all other applicable laws, rules or regulations.
  8. Onboard employees
    Have employees complete the necessary new hire paperwork, introduce them to their managers and team members, and give them access to any required training materials.

How to improve the hiring process

Finding and hiring the right talent means knowing where the organization is today, where it’s going, and the people and skills required to get there. Recruiters can do a better job of meeting their organization’s current and future needs by:

  • Gathering the most relevant and accurate data available
  • Understanding what the information means
  • Discovering which future scenarios are likely and why
  • Testing possible actions to uncover what their effects could be

Accomplishing these tasks is easier with recruiting solutions. Many are capable of monitoring and tracking key recruitment metrics, such as:

  • Source of hire: Where are candidates sourced from? Where else can recruiters search?
  • Application completion rate: Are people being lost before the process starts?
  • Submittal-to-interview ratio: Where and when do people drop out?
  • Interview-to-offer rate: Are recruiters talking to too few or too many people?
  • Offer acceptance and decline rates: If people don’t accept, why?
  • New-hire turnover rate: Are people leaving soon after they arrive? Why?
  • Time to hire: Is the recruitment process as efficient as possible?

With these insights, recruiters can identify where their hiring process is working and where it isn’t. They can also accurately predict labor needs and address issues before they worsen.

Frequently asked questions about hiring solutions

What are talent solutions?

Talent solutions are software tools that help employers manage every aspect of the employee life cycle from hire to retire. Capabilities include:

What are five recruitment strategies or methods?

There are many strategies to reap the benefits of hiring the right employee. Here are five of them:

  1. Build a compelling brand reputation and feature it prominently on career sites, job postings and other candidate-facing communications.
  2. Leverage mobile recruitment tactics so candidates can complete the entire application process from a smartphone or tablet.
  3. Invest in feature-rich recruitment technology to help the organization meet its talent goals quickly and efficiently, even as labor markets change.
  4. Consider remote work, which expands the geographical search and leads to a greater talent pool.
  5. Create an employee referral program that rewards current workers for referring qualified candidates.

What is a talent acquisition solution?

A talent acquisition solution is technology that helps employers find top candidates and speed up their time to hire. Depending on the provider, the product suite may include the following services:

This article is intended to be used as a starting point in analyzing technology hiring solutions and is not a comprehensive resource of requirements. It offers practical information concerning the subject matter and is provided with the understanding that ADP is not rendering legal or tax advice or other professional services.

Alex Green

Alex Green Senior Marketing Director, Talent Solutions, ADP Alex Green is a results-driven marketer known for her desire to deliver innovation and excellence. She is passionate about helping organizations create workplaces where their people can thrive.