How to Find the Right Person in a Fast-Track Recruitment Process?

Recruiting a new employee is like choosing a life partner. Before tying the knot, you need to make sure that your values ​​and vision for the future match, that you can calmly solve problems together, and that you complement each other.

Much of the planning a life together depends on the partners' soft skills, such as communication skills, empathy, conflict resolution, etc. It usually takes a couple of years to evaluate these skills. Employers have counted hours to assess the candidate’s organizational and role suitability.

Also, the time spent by employers to get acquainted with the candidates has only decreased in recent years. Currently, they spend an average of 2-3 meetings to evaluate a candidate’s soft skills, potential, and motivation. How to make these hours work for you as effectively as possible?

The Required Competencies are Determined by Who is Missing from the Team

The basis for evaluating soft skills is a realistic job profile. I often see how recruiters and their managers enthusiastically list 7-8 personality traits that a suitable candidate must meet. At the same time, the duo structures the rest of the recruitment process in a way that allows them to evaluate only 2-3 of the listed personality traits superficially, at best. As if forgetting what kind of a person was being sought.

When establishing the job profile, the qualities that are important for the team must be clearly distinguished from those that are a bonus. It is imperative to know what profiles are currently present in the team - what are the strengths and development needs of these employees - and what kind of a person the organization needs tomorrow and a year from now. Recruitment of new personnel thus requires skillful planning: it is essential to know how and at what stages to evaluate all the necessary qualities.

Since every additional perspective on a team is worth the investment, I recommend focusing on qualities that are not similar to those of the team leader, when creating a job profile. At the same time, the organization must remain practical in the assessment of its resources - the leader must also have the resources for this move.

Be Prepared to Evaluate Candidates

If at the end of the interview, the team leader or recruiter feels that the candidate was on the same page from the start and was super likable, then there probably was not a lot of evaluating going on in that conversation. During a pleasant chat, the purpose of the meeting is often forgotten and all else besides work is discussed.

That is why a proper scorecard or main points to focus on during the interview should be prepared with the hiring manager well before the interview. I recommend formulating at least 2-3 questions for each important quality you are looking for in a candidate. The scorecard also ensures consistency, which makes it easier to compare candidates later.

Tests Enable to Speed up Recruitment While Preserving Details

Recruitment is a costly and complex activity involving the time and expertise of recruiters, hiring managers, and recruitment team members. Nevertheless, the risk of failure is always high. Especially since most of the recruiters and HR managers mention that they cannot skillfully check all competencies anyway.

Traditional recruitment techniques are complemented by psychometric tests that help make more informed decisions when selecting candidates. As a certified user of both WOPI and DiSC myself, I know how the tests provide sufficient results to make a recruiting decision with little stress. A candidate’s 20-minute effort gives the hiring manager great insight into his/her motives and behavioral patterns, motivation, and potential. In addition to providing a comprehensive overview, the test-based approach helps to recruit objectively. We all have our own experiences, expectations, habits, and beliefs, which often lead us to make biased decisions without realizing them. Unlike us, reliable psychometric tests are scientifically based and allow for unbiased analysis instead of relying on gut feeling. The process becomes easier for all parties involved and recruitment mistakes will be significantly reduced.