Hyrell Online Hiring Systems Blog

To run and grow a successful small business you need two things; the right product or service and great people. What many small business owners fail to realize is just how important the people part of the equation is. If a Walmart makes a bad hire, it’s not that great. But if a small shop with 10 employees makes a bad hire the costs could be devastating.

While the process of hiring, from advertising the position to the new hire’s first day, can seem like a daunting task, here are five tips to help any small business hire the best person for the job.

1. Have a Formal Hiring Process

This may seem like a no brainer but for many small and growing businesses hiring a new employee is an inconsistent process. How many times have you walked into an interview with a potential employee with a million other things on your mind and forgot to ask an important question? It happens. Outlining a specific process from beginning to end is imperative.

2. Follow Your Hiring Process

Seems like another no-brainer but as we know, you get busy. Stuff happens. Maybe you think you don’t have time and you skip a step or two to get there quicker. The ends do not justify the means when it comes to the cost of a bad hire. =

3. Look Beyond Past Performance

While past performance should never be overlooked, it’s simply not enough to put all your eggs in that basket. One big accomplishment on a resume is not enough to assume the breakthrough will be repeated for you. Just because someone sold $10M in product for General does not mean they will be able to repeat that for a small company with little to no brand recognition.

4. Pay Attention to Applicant Attitude and Company Culture

Hiring someone that doesn’t quite fit or won’t get along with fellow employees is a slow killer of small business. You want your business to run like a well-oiled machine. Hiring someone who doesn’t “get” how that machine is fueled will be of no benefit to you.

5. Always Check References

It might come as a surprise to you but people fudge the truth sometimes. Just because it’s on a resume doesn’t mean it’s true. Just because someone is charming in an interview doesn’t mean they aren’t hiding something. A person that twists the truth on a resume will likely take advantage of workplace rules as well. Checking references may seem laborious, but it’s small potatoes to the cost of hiring someone you need to fire after two months.

Remember, taking short-cuts to get someone behind a desk can ease immediate growing pains but can very likely create regrets in the long-term.

The key is to understand that hiring the right candidate takes time. Be patient. Do your due diligence and remember a bad hire can destroy everything you worked so hard for.

The Harvard Business Review recently wrote a thought-provoking article about efficiency. There was one particular paragraph that summarized the article and caught our attention:

“Too much efficiency can be just as deadly as too little, if it leaves an organization unable to cope with change — either because it's too fragile to survive a crisis or too rigid to adapt to industry changes. So the goal should not be greater efficiency, but rather efficiency where it makes sense.”

We all focus on efficiency all of the time, but there is an important distinction to be made between too much efficiency and the proper blend of efficiency that generates results.

Naturally, this distinction also applies to the hiring arena.

If you are using a recruiting management or applicant tracking system, many will screen out just about every applicant if your criteria are too stringent (“sorry you can’t apply – you only have 23 of the 24 characteristics we are looking for in our next hire – auto rejection!”). It turns out that efforts to be as efficient as possible may turn out to be deadly, just like the HBR article suggests.

How can it be deadly? Simple. If you are too strict on the applicants you that consider, the odds increase that you will miss out on potentially great applicants. You may want 5 years of experience but there is an otherwise perfect applicant with 4 years experience at a first rate organization that you are missing out on. If your software-managed filters are too strict, that applicant won’t make it through for evaluation.

Just like most business decisions, there is a happy medium. Certain qualifications very well may be go/no-go decisions (Certifications, Licenses, Permits, etc.). But many qualifications can be learned on the job. Often, these hungry applicants may be the best fit for your company. So use your system to guide you through the hiring process and highlight the best applicants; then evaluate applicants on what matters most to you. Be efficient but not too rigid. Your company will be better off.

This year, my wife’s birthday fell on Black Friday. She has been asking for a new camera for about six years now so I finally succumbed. I don’t deal well with holiday shopping crowds so I always default to online first. I did my research but I am not a camera expert. I wanted to play with them a bit before my final purchase. So, because I’m a good husband, I went to the store on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving; which, as you are aware, is three full days before Black Friday. I pulled into Best Buy parking lot and noticed there were already people camped out for Black Friday. Again, this was Tuesday. A sort of Black Tuesday, I guess you could say.

Since I tend to think in terms of productivity. I couldn’t figure this one out. My first logical question was, “What is that group’s time worth?” Is 96 hours of your time plus Thanksgiving turkey in a parking lot worth it? Do they realize you aren’t getting things for free on Black Friday – you are getting just a percentage off what you spend? So, let’s get this straight: you spend 3 days in line, camp out in a parking lot, miss a holiday, possibly miss time with loved ones, all for the ‘privilege’ of spending your hard earned money on some subpar quality TV that you may have to fight off a handbag-wielding grandma for?

This sounds a lot like the human resources department of many companies.

How? Most businesses spend money (on some sort of ads) to increase their workload (by reading through an avalanche of incoming resumes), all to wonder if they are getting the best applicants. The best applicants have the most companies interested in them – you’re fighting off grandmas in the form of other companies for them. But if you miss your chance because you’re too caught up working through the junk queue, you’re out of luck. (And Christmas Day will be ruined!!)

The same questions I had for the group at Best Buy applies to many people at small businesses involved with hiring - what is your time worth? Is this really the most effective way to get the most desired result?

Small businesses, unlike the Black Friday fanatics, can’t afford to waste resources. Especially when it comes to hiring!

So eat your turkey at home. And get a quality hiring tool.

Patrick Clark is Hyrell's Director of Business Development.

Anyone who has applied for a job recently knows that Applicant Tracking Systems that just take your resume and search for certain keywords are pretty much the worst thing ever created.

Applicants know that the hiring manager on the other end probably isn't reading it and is, instead, just letting the system scan it for keyword matches. Ultimately, the system spits out a list of a few candidates that have 90% of the correct keywords.

Now, from the hiring manager’s perspective, these systems are just as bad. You, as the hiring manager, are trying to manage the overwhelming flood off resumes and applicants but suspect you're often missing very qualified applicants.

Missing qualified applicants is the reason that we at Hyrell created an online hiring system that does not rely solely on the resume for the application process. In doing so, we've created a better way to ensure you're finding the right applicants.

Using custom sets of Yes/No questions that each company can create, the Hyrell system automatically ranks and scores the incoming applicants based on your most important criteria (i.e. "Do you have at least 3 years of experience in our field?”).

Then you can choose to further analyze the applicants that truly meet your needs by using our powerful Virtual Interview process. This allows you to see applicants’ long-form answers to relevant questions that you choose (i.e. “We are looking for upbeat, talented and focused individuals to help continue our growth. Please tell us why you are a good fit for this position.")

Of course, you still get to view education, past work experience and a list of references in their applicant file. And yes, you can also view the applicant’s resume as well, but at this point in the process, you have all of the background you need to make an informed decision on any applicant.

Sure, this process takes applicants a few extra minutes to complete compared to the ‘upload resume here’ button. But we view that as a positive – companies get a more complete picture of the applicant and applicants get a chance to provide more than a standard resume and cover letter. Don't you want someone that REALLY wants the job and isn't just sending their resume to every position available? Remember - just because you know Microsoft Paint, doesn't make you a designer!

We're not suggesting you go resume-free but we do know one thing for sure - There's a Better Way to Hire!

The team at Hyrell is constantly striving to improve our application and pass along valuable and time saving features. We are happy to note the following enhancements to the system that are included in our May 2012 Release.

Background and Response Tip

In the Virtual Interview response section of the Applicant’s file, Hiring officials can now see the Background and Response Tip in addition to the Virtual Interview question (and applicant’s answer to the question). Prior to this release, and for the sake of brevity, hiring officials were only presented with the virtual interview question and applicant’s response. Now, the hiring official is provided the full context of each virtual interview question.

Forward File Identifier

Up until this release, the name of the originator of a forwarded file did not appear in the automatic Forward File email signature element. The assumption was that the originator of the forwarded file would identify him/herself in the comments section of the communication – not always so. At times, files have been forwarded without comment which masked the identity of the sender. With this release, the name of the sender will now automatically appear in the sender’s signature element of the forwarded file email.

Search Enhancement in Library Positions Tab

The system has been modified with better search functionality in the Positions tab of the Library. Now, you may search using any word or component of the position title.

EEO Page Enhancements

The EEO page now includes the following:

• A header statement that informs the reader that EEO is a federally-mandated, voluntary step of the job application process
• A means to self-identify the race of an individual who is of two or more races
• A Veterans identifier selection
• A Disabled Applicant identifier selection

Many departments within small and medium businesses (SMBs) have adopted technology to gain efficiencies. To save time. To become more productive. To increase profits.

However, one area of a company that often lags in technology adoption is recruiting and hiring.

Which is both ironic and unfortunate.

It is ironic because human resources and their hiring activities were early adopters of technology within the SMB world. The HR world was online when clouds only related to weather and they have been posting openings on internet job boards going back to the 1990s.

More than a decade ago, hiring officials knew they could use technology to help attract applicants. Yet, today many are still using the same methods. Receiving emails with resumes attached isn’t cutting edge (or efficient) any longer. It's now merely just the beginning of a cumbersome and manual process.

This is also unfortunate because there is a new breed of technology that can dramatically increase the probability of finding the right hire. Simply posting to a job board isn’t enough.

There is now a solution that attracts, and more importantly, highlights, best-fit applicants. The needle can now be pulled from the haystack without hours and hours of wasted time.

So we urge you, human resources, take back the lead in technology adoption!

There is a better way to hire.

There are few companies in the small and medium business (SMB) world that are over-staffed. Each person is responsible for his or her own area but everyone pitches in and does what is necessary to keep the company headed in the right direction.

Goals are set. To-do lists are made. Intentions are pure. But at the end of the day, everything from the to-do list doesn’t get crossed off, the list grows and goals get pushed.

How can you stop the cycle? You can start by adopting smart business technology within your company or department.

To be clear, not all business technology is worth your attention. There are solutions that won’t make you or your company more efficient – they are cumbersome, hard to learn/use, take forever to set-up and frustrate you every time you think of them.

However, there is a growing group of smart, friendly, useful business technologies that just about any company can adopt and afford. Plus, it will make your workday more efficient. Salesforce.com can guide your Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Zendesk can handle customer support tickets. Google Apps can provide company-branded emails and shared calendars. And Hyrell can help with one of the most inefficient areas any business faces - hiring.

The inefficiencies built into many hiring processes can be overwhelming:

- maintaining job descriptions,
- posting to various sources
- updating your company’s career page
- reading resumes
- calling applicants
- scheduling interviews
- re-scheduling interviews
- pre-hire assessments
- and on and on and on.

There has to be a better method to deal with your hiring needs, right? Fortunately, there is.

The Hyrell Online Hiring System provides a single platform that helps your company post all of your jobs to national internet job boards, and evaluate, track and process all incoming applicants. Our applicant tracking tools and overall recruiting management won’t make everything in your company more efficient but it will make your hiring activities more streamlined, effective and productive.

Use smart technology – be efficient.

One of the largest, and most well known, sources of job applicants is craigslist. Unfortunately, in addition to providing plenty of applicants, it can also provide plenty of time-wasting emails. However, there is a better way to make craigslist work for you.

The most basic form of a craigslist job posting workflow is simple. A company posts its job opening on craigslist. Applicants see the job and either reply to a real email address (i.e. jobs@yourcompanyname) or an anonymous email address that craigslist will provide. This process helps generate applicant flow, but there is often far too many unqualified applicants flooding your inbox because it only takes a few seconds to hit ‘reply’ and upload a resume.

The problem with this method is that it still puts the burden on you to read through each email, figure out if that applicant is qualified and communicate with that applicant through the hiring process. Even if you are extremely efficient at weeding through resumes, this process is inefficient at best.

There is a better way though – use the Hyrell Online Hiring System. First, post your job in the correct geography and job category. However, instead of having applicants apply to an email address, you direct applicants to your recruiting management system, powered by Hyrell. Our system is configured so that each job opening within your company has a unique URL. That means you can direct applicants to a specific job posting, with specific qualifying questions (instead of sending them to one generic application or having the applicants simply attach a resume). Now, our system will do the work for you – it scores and organizes all of your incoming applicants allowing you to focus on the best-fit applicants, not the time-wasting resumes and emails.

By focusing on the best-fit applicants, you can then use the powerful applicant tracking features of the tool to both communicate with the applicant and track every action of the hiring process. If utilized correctly, your company should get more qualified applicants and you’ll spend less time on the hiring process.

In our experience, craigslist isn’t perfect for all job types in all locations. However, except for a few major metropolitan areas, it is free to post your job openings - so make it work for you! If you are looking to leverage the applicant flow of craigslist but want a more efficient system to handle your entire company’s hiring needs and workflow, Hyrell is here to help.

Lots of applicants apply to your job openings. Unfortunately, if you don’t have a recruiting management system in place, every applicant probably doesn’t always receive a final decision or status update in a timely manner (if at all). These unanswered applicants fall into the dreaded black hole of hiring.

Most companies want to update every job applicant as he or she moves through the hiring process (selected/not selected, status updates, etc.). Unfortunately, few companies are able to close the loop with all applicants, all of the time.

Why? It can take up too much of your valuable workday. Calls. Emails. Voicemails. On top of that, statistically, the final update can’t be favorable for the vast majority of applicants. And the list keeps growing! Not many people enjoy giving an applicant the message, “Unfortunately we are going in a different direction…”

If an applicant was willing to spend the time applying to a job, he or she probably expects some sort of update or final decision. This is even more probable in today’s social, open world.

Luckily, if you don’t have time to update each applicant, we’ve created a simple, effective and personal method to update each applicant through every step of the hiring process, often with only two clicks. The Hyrell Online Hiring System applicant tracking system (ATS) can automatically log every action, with every applicant, for you.

You can update an applicant one at a time, or in batches. Good news or bad news, it closes the loop with each applicant. Even if they don’t get the job, the odds have been increased that the applicant will respect your organization for having the courtesy to provide an update. It’s good business and good karma.

No more telephone tag. No more copy and paste emails. No more snail mail or postcards. No more overwhelming stacks of unanswered applicants.

Let the Hyrell Online Hiring System give you your time back. Update your applicants easily and efficiently and eliminate the black hole!

The November 2011 edition of Inc. Magazine had an interesting article for anyone involved in the hiring process: How to Make Hiring Less Frantic. You can read the full article here. The title is self-explanatory and it provides a few helpful tips, including:

- Always evaluate and engage your applicant pipeline
- Publish your jobs where applicants can find them in today’s searching world
- Tweak each job listing to better attract skilled candidates
- Act swiftly on hiring decisions when then best talent presents itself

Inc. is correct in its guidance and in addition to its list, you should also consider leveraging technology to make the entire process more systematic, organized and efficient. The Software as a Service (SaaS) model now allows for companies of all sizes to utilize an online hiring system.

A forward-looking, well-designed online hiring center can allow you to easily follow the above recommendations and make your hiring practices less frantic. A quality, light-weight applicant tracking system (ATS) will also allow your company to actively engage with its applicants, track ongoing communications, and develop a relationship with each quality candidate.

When a business uses a new technology it should accomplish several goals – and there aren’t many more important than getting the right people working on your team. If it does so effectively, and makes hiring less frantic, even better!