HR Departments: Here’s How to Save Time on Recruitment

Human resources (HR) departments can get very busy in large companies, so proper time allocation and utilization are essential to ensure the right people are being recruited and hired. After all, an HR manager who’s in a rush may make mistakes and/or hire a candidate who is less than ideal. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways for HR departments to save time without sacrificing the quality of their output. With that said, if your company has been spending too much time on recruitment without reaping desirable results then you may want to heed the following 4 tips to initiate a positive change:

1. Use an Applicant Tracking System

When you have dozens or even hundreds of applicants vying for a position with your company, it can be difficult to collect and compare all of that data without the help of specialized software, which is where applicant tracking systems (ATS) come into play. The best applicant tracking systems come with features that allow for automated resume screening and filtering based on custom criteria, thereby making it easy for hiring managers to sift through mounds of applications quickly.

2. Train Recruiters and Hiring Managers

Of course, the people in charge of HR will have the biggest impact on the department’s overall productivity and performance, so investing in their training is a key step to take if you notice ongoing deficiencies in your hiring or recruiting processes. Recruiters need to be educated on how to best promote open positions within the company using a variety of job listing sites, directories, and even labor unions if applicable. Likewise, hiring managers need to be trained on selecting optimal candidates to ensure that your company isn’t taking “one step forward and two steps back” when bringing new staff on board.

3. Give Prospective Employees Good Incentives

In addition to training hiring managers, it’s also a good idea to give prospective employees incentives to join your company, particularly if you’re operating in a sector where there are many other employers offering similar positions. Incentives like sign-on bonuses, insurance benefits, paid vacations, flexible hours, and other perks will surely catch the eye of employees who know their value – and those are usually the best kind to have.

4. Recognize Opportunities for Automation

Finally, since many HR departments are bogged down by tedious repetitive tasks, it’s a good idea to conduct a thorough review of your current HR processes to see if there are any tasks that can be streamlined or simplified via automation solutions like scripts, software, alternative work methods, and/or outsourcing.

Go Completely Paperless During the Workflow Process

Although printed archives are still considerable options for backing up data in physical form to protect against a highly unlikely yet catastrophic cyber collapse, that sort of redundancy can be implemented in retrospect after the HR department has finished working on a case. In other words, HR employees should only be using digital databases and tools to save time and promote accuracy, as you don’t want a bundle of papers and files sitting on a recruiter’s desk collecting dust.