As an interview intelligence solution, one question that we're asked constantly is how to improve the hiring process. Hiring is one of the biggest challenges that many companies face today, especially with Ai, economic conditions, and workforce shortages reshaping the way we work, companies are finding the acquisition of top talent to be one of the most prevalent costly hurdles to overcome.

Hiring will never be easy since people are complex, but hopefully, in this guide, we can help you solve some of the challenges between your company and top talent. Here are some hiring best practices that can help you strengthen your hiring process:

1. Create a Comprehensive Job Description - Start by writing an effective job description so prospective candidates know exactly what to expect should they be chosen for the position. This allows them to make an informed decision, as well as helping you attract more qualified candidates.
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2. Source Candidates from Multiple Sources - In addition to job boards, consider referring to your network, community groups, and other sources for potential candidates. This will help you identify prospects that may not have been on your radar before.
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3. Use an Interview Process That Highlights Strengths - Once you've identified the best candidates, use a structured interview process to assess their skills and abilities.
4. Adopt Inclusive Hiring Practices - Companies should strive to adopt inclusive hiring practices like blind resumes and assessments so that everyone has an equal chance at success and so that no candidate is misjudged based on personal traits that would unfairly exclude them from the hiring process.
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5. Involve the Team in Hiring - Involving the team in the hiring process will help make sure that everyone is on the same page. This can also give you an opportunity to assess potential candidates for culture fit and team dynamics, which are just as important as technical skills.
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6. Follow Up with Candidates - Make sure to follow up with every candidate, whether they're successful or not. Keep the lines of communication open and be sure to provide feedback where possible.

By following best practices in recruitment and selection, companies can ensure that they're finding the best talent for each job. Additionally, using inclusive hiring practices can help create a more diverse workforce which can lead to greater innovation and productivity. Implementing these steps will help you find the right people to join your team and ensure that you're attracting, recruiting, and retaining top talent.

The importance of your hiring process and including these best practices cannot be understated. When done right, your hiring process can lead to the most successful and talented employees for your company. If you're finding the hiring process overwhelming and would like our team to help you implement hiring best practices and interview intelligence software to manage every step from the phone screen to onboarding, chat with someone on our team to learn more about how we can help you make better hiring decisions.

Best Practices in Recruitment and Selection

One of the things people don't talk about much, but we've all faced in our careers is bad hiring practices - so let's talk about these first. Bad hiring practices are not only demoralizing for the candidate but can lead to costly turnover and an unfortunate reputation among potential future talent. Bad hiring practices include things like not providing feedback, competition-style interview processes, overlooking qualified candidates due to their backgrounds, or even biases showing up in the hiring process.

These practices are unacceptable. In order to ensure fair and equal opportunity for all, we need to implement best practices in recruitment and selection to eliminate such things from our organization. Recruitment best practice examples include things like:

1. Using multiple sources for recruitment - Don't just rely on job boards, instead look to your network, alumni groups, and other sources for potential hires.
2. Building a diverse team - While qualifications should remain the primary focus, diversity in backgrounds and perspectives can bring innovative ideas to the table.
3. Creating an Interactive Interview Process - Include activities that will help you assess the potential candidate’s skills and abilities such as case studies, whiteboard projects, and problem-solving challenges.
4. Using Inclusive Hiring Practices - Make sure to use blind resumes and assessments so that everyone has an equal chance at success and so that no candidate is misjudged based on personal traits.
5. Following Up with Candidates - Always follow up with every candidate, whether they're successful or not. Keep the lines of communication open and provide feedback where possible.

These recruitment examples all illustrate one primary thing: respect for the candidate. In fact, they all represent what we want to feel in the hiring process - so why wouldn't we provide candidates with the same courtesy as we'd like to receive ourselves? At Pillar, we've built our video interview platform on the best practices that deliver unmatched candidate experience (CX). Our best-in-class recruitment and selection software tools are designed to improve the process, automate parts of it, and help you make better hiring decisions.

Inclusive Hiring Practices

Diversity hiring has shifted significantly over the past several years. From recent reverse racism claims to the Supreme Court's ruling on Affirmative Action, we're seeing the world change. Some of this is for the better and will create a more equitable world, and some will not, but it's our hope that inclusive hiring practices remain a core value of every company so that people have the opportunity to make a great living and do work that they love.

Best practices for diversity in the workforce are pretty simple - but they're not easy. Companies should strive to adopt inclusive hiring practices like blind resumes and assessments so that everyone has an equal chance at success and so that no candidate is misjudged on race, gender, or other personal traits that would unfairly exclude them from the hiring process. This includes creating a welcoming atmosphere for candidates, providing education and training to staff on how to conduct inclusive interviews, and removing biases from your team.

Let's look at what it takes to successfully implement inclusive hiring practices. First, we have to assess our current team. If they all look alike, share similar backgrounds, and educations, are the same gender, and share similar religious or political views, maybe it's time to consider a different hiring strategy. Creating a diverse and inclusive workforce begins with an internal champion who's willing to go to bat for people- even when it may be a bit uncomfortable.

Once you've identified an internal champion, it's time to create a system that works. That means taking into account the needs of a diverse employee pool, creating a safe space for candidates, and doing the hard work of recruiting from underrepresented groups. Establishing an inclusive hiring process may be time-consuming and challenging, but the rewards of a diverse workforce will outweigh any effort it takes to create this process.

When you've hired a diverse team, they need the support and resources to do their best work. This means providing access to mentors, and professional development opportunities, and creating an environment where everyone feels heard and respected. With the right team in place, you'll have a winning formula for success.

Retaining a diverse group of talented employees is essential to any organization's continued success. Best hiring practices for diversity that create this type of team are more about caring for people, being supportive and curious about their backgrounds, and creating an environment where everyone can thrive. With the right strategies in place, you'll have a team of engaged, productive individuals that will bring value to your organization for years to come.

Recruiting Best Practices for Hiring Managers

We've talked about the importance of hiring the right employee and the best practices to do so, but what about the people in charge of doing it? Recruiting best practices for hiring managers are just as important. They need to be prepared, organized and have a plan of action when it comes to the recruitment process.

How to Hire the Right Person:

First, they need to understand the needs of their organization. What positions do you need to fill? What skills are essential for the role? What is the company culture and how does it reflect on your ideal candidate?

Second, recruiters need to know the latest trends in hiring. Are you using advanced recruitment tools such as AI and interview intelligence software like Pillar? Have you conducted a job analysis so that you can determine the job responsibilities and qualifications of potential candidates?

Third, recruiters should plan out their recruitment process. Are you going to screen resumes first, or are you going to use keywords and phrases in your job ads? What is the timeline for the recruitment process? How long will each step take before you move on to the next one? and, what Best Practices need to be included in the process to create a fair and equal result for everyone.

Fourth, they need to be familiar with different inclusion strategies. Are you actively looking for candidates from traditionally underrepresented groups? Do you have a diverse panel of interviewers to ensure all perspectives are heard?

Finally, recruiters need to follow up with candidates. Keep the lines of communication open and provide feedback where possible. This will help build relationships and create a positive impression of your organization. Successful recruiters are organized, adaptable, and know how to apply different best practices in recruitment and selection. By understanding the best practices, hiring managers can create an inclusive environment that will attract and retain a talented pool of diverse candidates.

To see how Pillar can help you create a great hiring process with all of these best practices and more, Book your demo of our video interview platform to see how we've helped companies save millions of dollars in hiring costs and thousands of hours for hiring and recruiting teams.