When your company has an opening for a critical role, you want to hire the most qualified individual to fill it. But you also want to fill the role quickly so that your production and workflow aren’t negatively impacted. To find the right person as fast as possible, you can use several strategies.
Reach Out to a Recruiting Firm
Recruiting firms can save your company time, money, and hassle. Most importantly, they can quickly find candidates whose skills and experience match your needs. Recruiters will perform the first step in screening applicants for the qualifications you are looking for and bring forward only the best candidates for further steps.
Many recruiters already have resumes of qualified job seekers on file. They also know where to look to find potential candidates and how to reach out to them. They may have access to job boards you don’t, and they have the tools to search them efficiently.
Interview Candidates
Interviewing can be just as difficult for the hiring manager as it is for the applicant. To find out whether the candidate will be a good fit for your company you have to ask the right questions. Open-ended questions will give you a sense of the candidate’s abilities and soft skills.
There are some questions that you shouldn’t ask that may be seen as discriminatory. Questions about the candidate’s marital status, family situation, or physical health are off-limits. You also shouldn’t ask questions that may require candidates to reveal their age or ethnic background.
Consider Internal Candidates
Often the fastest way to fill a critical role is to promote from within your company. Your present employees already have a solid understanding of the company’s vision, goals, and procedures. An internal candidate will have a shorter learning curve than someone from outside the company. If you still want to look for external candidates, you can make a temporary or interim appointment. This allows your employee time to grow into the role and demonstrate his or her competency while also giving you the time to look at other options.
Filling a critical role quickly poses a challenge that requires you to balance speed with quality. It can be a mistake to move too quickly when hiring. However, you can achieve both goals through some tried-and-true strategies by recruiting, screening, and interviewing only the most promising candidates.