6 ways to make the hiring process easier

The hiring squeeze is affecting a vast swath of companies across every industry. The most recent figures from the Department of Labor show that 47.4 million people left their jobs in 2021. Economists are calling that record-obliterating number "uncharted territory" and a disaster for the U.S. economy. But it seems rather counterintuitive, doesn't it? Those millions of people leaving their old jobs would be looking for new ones, right? And that would make it easier for you to fill your open positions. But just the opposite is happening. People are leaving their jobs because, after living through the pandemic, perhaps losing loved ones to it, they realized life is too short to spend all day doing something they don't like for companies that don't appreciate their work. So, when they start looking for a new job, they're not going to settle for any new job. They're looking for the greenest pasture out there. And because the hiring market is so challenging, job seekers are calling all the shots.

What that means for hiring managers, HR pros and small business owners is the urgent need to get their hiring A-game on. Ultimately, that's what's going to make hiring easier — presenting the best version of your company to those prospective new hires. But there are nuts-and-bolts steps you can take, too. Here are a few ideas.

Consider internal candidates first. This is a wise move for a few reasons. It's much easier for you to look within your own ranks first — no onboarding, no questions if your candidate will fit into company culture; you're getting a known commodity, so there's no risk the person will ghost you after a month on the job (believe us, it happens). Also, promoting from within or even considering people for lateral moves sends a powerful message to the rest of the company that you care about your employees' happiness on the job, development, and training. Using the right HRIS, one that has capabilities to include training modules, makes the process even easier.

Bulletproof your benefits. Those greener pastures for job candidates are filled with great health care, elder and childcare, employer-contributed emergency savings plans, student loan payoffs, unlimited PTO, and the most important, high salaries.

Take a fresh look at your job descriptions. If the last time you refreshed your job descriptions was during the Obama administration, it's time to revisit them. Especially in this hiring market, you can't be going out there on job boards like Indeed with dated-sounding information. It's also a good time to reassess the position's roles and responsibilities.

Standardize your hiring process. This is important now in terms of pay equity, diversity and other factors. You need one process for hiring everyone.

Be prepared to cast your net wider. It's the age of remote work. One enormous benefit for employers during this hiring market is the ability to deepen your talent pool beyond those people who can commute to the office every day.

Automate your recruiting. Using an applicant tracking system with your HRIS, you can post jobs online, track and filter resumes, send responses, and generally get all of those tasks you used to do by hand off of your plate. Then you'll have the time to thoughtfully consider internal candidates, up your benefits, revise job descriptions, standardize those hiring processes, and look far and wide for the best fit.