Hiring can seem like an overwhelming task for employers. There are several steps in the hiring process, and it can be quite long and tedious.

However, you can alleviate a lot of the stress of hiring by learning some best practices as well as automating some of the more burdensome steps to make it a more painless process.

5 Steps to Finding and Getting Superstar Employees

Below are a few easy ways to streamline your process in order to alleviate a lot of the stress that comes along with hiring.

Tip #1: Envision Your Ideal Candidate

What qualities are you looking for in a candidate? Do you want someone creative, passionate, and outgoing? Or are you looking for someone that’s analytical, driven, and reserved? Assess what kind of personality would be a good fit for the role, as well as what skills you want your ideal candidate to possess. Having someone with many perfect qualities is nice; however, be realistic with your search.

Focus on finding someone with personality traits that relate to the specific position and the kind of personality they will need to be successful in it. Define specific skills you would like your candidate to have such as problem-solving, customer service, or self-starting skills. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, it will be hard to find the perfect candidate for the position.

Take into consideration:

• The culture of your company
• Basic requirements to be able to perform the job
• The kind of motivation you want a future employee to have
• A general idea of what kind of goals you want a potential employee to set for him- or herself
  
  

Tip #2: Be Specific in Your Job Posting

Giving a very broad description of the job in your online job posting can cause you to get a high number of applicants from various backgrounds. This can make it quite difficult to sift through resumes to find the few superstars in your stack.

Being very specific about the description of the job duties, requirements, and preferred qualifications can help weed out a large number of candidates that wouldn’t be the best fit for the job. Additionally, using qualifying questions can help knock out even more unfitting candidates. Being specific in a job posting not only disqualifies candidates that don’t align with the job, but also attracts better quality job seekers by telling them exactly what to expect from your company.

Vague job postings can make your company seem deceptive to outstanding candidates. Use descriptive language and even provide examples of a typical project or day-to-day tasks that they can expect to do if hired. Providing examples of what to expect on the job will further knock out candidates who are looking for a desk warming job.

Talk not only about what you want from a candidate, but also what you have to offer them as a company. Paint a picture of your company culture and company values, list your benefits, and link to any employee review sites to further entice great candidates to want to apply.

Companies who transparently list their benefits such as 401(k) offerings, days off per year, parental leave, company trips, happy hours, and even gym memberships and parking reimbursements have a better chance of attracting high-quality candidates who are looking for not only a salary but a place to feel welcomed and appreciated.

Tip #3: Invest in Hiring Automation Software

Invest in an automated hiring system to help take some of the busywork out of your hiring process. Using hiring automation software can help cut down on the time it takes you to personally go through candidates. Use online software to:

• Ask pre-screening questions
• Have future employees take assessments or quizzes
• Schedule interviews according to your schedule
• Run background checks
  
  

Automation software can be a way of not only making some of your processes easier but also can help track where your candidates are coming from. This can help you decide the best places to post your job postings in the future. Online software is crucial for business owners who are busy and don’t want to devote a lot of time to hiring.

Instead of taking the time to call each candidate one by one, automation software makes it easy for you to choose the candidates you would like to call, and pre-screen and send them an email with an assessment. This saves a step in the hiring process, reduces the costs of hiring, and quickly weeds out candidates based on their responses to the assessment.

Automation software stores the data in an easy to use space so that each time you hire you can reference it. Going back to see where you can improve on the process will make for an even more efficient hiring process each time you need to hire a new employee.

Tip #4: Have an Engaging Interview

Use the interview time you have with the candidate to further outline the job duties. Being specific in your job posting is great, but sometimes candidates might misinterpret what the job actually entails.

Making sure candidates know exactly what to expect on the job can make it easier for them to decide to want to work for a company that has very structured and well-defined roles. If you aren’t specific about what you expect from them, it could leave them unsure if the job is right for them.

Prepare for the interview by thoroughly reading over their resumes and running any pre-employment screening you deem necessary. Come prepared with any questions you may have in regard to the role and any clarifications you may need about their previous job history.

When hiring candidates that are less than what you expected, or whose explanations don’t quite match up with their resumes, remain considerate and professional. Matt Edstrom, Chief Marketing Officer of GoodLife Home Loans advises,

“No matter what you are saying to job candidates during the interview process, it should always be cordial. Anything that can be misconstrued as unprofessional or rude reflects poorly on the company, and will ultimately make the company less desirable for future candidates, as word tends to get around when unprofessional things are said.”

Use negative interview experiences to help improve your hiring process by coming up with better qualifying questions and more well-defined requirements.

Tip #5: Follow Up in a Timely Manner

Be transparent with candidates about when they should expect to hear back about the position. Leaving things up in the air can cause good interviewees who are deciding between your company and another one choose the more reliable employer. Make sure you are clear about when and how they will hear back from you. Give them the email address or phone number of an appropriate person in case they need to follow up.

Closing the interview with transparency is the final step in making sure great candidates will want to work at your establishment. Follow up with the candidates within two weeks to ensure you don’t let the one you want get away. Extend the offer and prepare your team to onboard your new superstar candidate!

Never again feel overwhelmed by hiring. Streamline your process to make painless hires of superstar candidates for your business. Using automation software and following these tips and tricks will ensure you get the best candidates with little stress to you, leaving you with more time to work on being the best manager possible!

Samantha Rupp holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and is a contributing editor for 365businesstips.com. She lives in San Diego, California and enjoys spending time on the beach, reading up on business industry trends, and traveling.