You use technology to make things easier, right? Like, now you can watch tv on the bus and order pizza without ever talking to a human being. It’s pretty awesome. So why not apply that idea to hiring? Too many startups still see hiring as a waste of their precious time and energy - and that’s largely down to the way they manage it.Using recruitment technology to smooth out the hiring process makes it easier for you, and hopefully less painful for your candidates too. In this market, where many companies - particularly startups and small businesses - struggle to find the right people, that’s crucial.Here are a few basic, easy ways to create a more streamlined hiring and onboarding process.
1: Finding the right peopleFinding people can take forever. Technology can help of course. Job board and recruitment sites - like Seek and Trademe Jobs - are a good place to find people. Don't ignore social recruiting through sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, or specialist platforms like StackOverflow (for developers) or Behance (for designers).This is one of those times where technology is a double edged sword - it means you have access to thousands of people through the internet, but it also means you have to sift through those thousands to find the right ones for you. Thats where the next point comes into its own.2: Screen and saveScreening candidates pre-interview saves you time - but only if your screening process is designed to find people with the skills and talents your startup needs. If you rely on looking through a pile of CVs, you’re could miss the perfect person.Using a pre-screening survey - like Weirdly - cuts out the old school CV process altogether. With a Weirdly quiz, candidates answer some quick (but revealing) questions, tell you a bit about themselves, and get an idea of what your brand stands for at the same time.3: Talking the talkIf you’ve screened candidates for cultural fit using a tool like Weirdly, interviews should be a chance for you and your candidate to get to know each other better, rather than a chance to grill them about their biggest weakness (it’s always perfectionism anyway).Technology comes into play if you need to interview remotely, via Skype or conference call. You can also use a digital interview form (or just the notes function in Weirdly) to quickly record a candidates’ answers and your impressions, and share them with your wider team.4: The best of the bestIf you’re lucky, you’ll interview a bunch of people and find it hard to choose just one. This is when testing and assessment comes in. This used to be a slow, tedious process which required HR to pore over tests written on paper. Now, of course, the process can be quick and entirely paper-free. People can take personality, skill and even behavioural tests online or in your office. The software compiles results instantly, so you can see the stand out candidates at a glance. Tests4Geeks and Skillmeter are two options for testing technical or developer skills in your applicants.5: Checking the detailsEven if everything seems above board, it’s a good idea to do background and reference checks for your candidates. It’s a bit faster these days, with companies like Verify.co.nz offering online checking of criminal history, qualifications, Visa entitlements, and even credit history. They’ll even call references for you.6: Welcome aboardSo you’ve found a candidate with the right cultural fit (and skill set). And they’ve decided to work for you. Hurrah! The next step is getting the paperwork sorted. Plenty of companies still use paper-heavy onboarding processes guaranteed to bore your shiny new hire to tears.Putting it online doesn’t make the form filling more entertaining, necessarily, but it does make it faster. You can include a digital signature so everything is legal, and link to your intranet and any internal social networks, so they can start getting to know their colleagues.7: Getting startedFinally, your newbie actually has to learn to do the job. Training videos can be unintentionally hilarious, but they’re not usually very useful.Taking people through an induction online isn’t just easier - it’s more engaging. With a virtual training portal, people can work through videos or quizzes at their own speed. You can also track their work. This means you’ll be able to see when they complete each training module, rather than handing over a dusty folder and hoping they read at least some of it.A really easy, free place to start with this is Trello. Setting up your induction steps as cards, new team members can systematically work through the things they need to get set up and learn the ropes.
Want to make your hiring process less painful for everyone involved? Weirdly is a good place to start. You get a free trial and it only takes 30 seconds to set up - how’s that for simple?
