Incorporating SMART Goals into the Hiring Process

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If hiring SMARTER is a part of your New Years Resolution, then you probably know a thing or two about SMART goals. And if you haven’t assessed your hiring strategy, or you don’t have a current hiring strategy – there is no better time than NOW!

Reflect on your year and ask yourself –

  • How successful was our recruiting & hiring?
  • Was my recruiting & hiring reactive (begin recruiting when a position opens up) or proactive (continuous recruiting even when positions are filled)?
  • Do we have the best talent in the most business-critical roles?

By being more strategic when it comes to recruiting & hiring, this can be your BEST YEAR YET.

Here is how you can incorporate SMART goals into your hiring process:

SPECIFIC: be specific in the job description.

HINT: high performers are ONLY attracted to opportunities, so outline with specifics how your job is a challenge, step up/opportunity for them, and layout your expectations clearly.

MEASURABLE: Understand that quality over quantity is the goal of attracting applicants. Meaning 3 GREAT resumes are ALWAYS better than 50 AVERAGE resumes.

HINT: If the majority of your applicant pool are not good-fits, then the 3 to 5 you picked from that group to interview may not be even close to the best person for the position.

ACHIEVABLE: Plan ahead and be realistic about when you really need to fill the position. Determine from the start which position criteria are “need to haves” versus “nice to haves”.

RELEVANT: Focus on Do’s over Have’s. Clearly outline what someone will need to accomplish in 3 months, 6 months, 12 months to be a success in the position.

HINT: Come up with questions around that objective & performance related criteria for the interview.

TIME-BOUND: Set a realistic time frame for the hiring and follow it. How long will it take to recruit the best talent? When will it make sense to get outside recruiting help? When does the new hire need to start? How long will the interview process take? How many days will it take to arrive at a decision? Are these time frames realistic?

HINT: Make sure you ALWAYS share the hiring process timeline with candidates and manage their expectations to ensure open communication = a positive candidate experience.

We’d love to hear from you! What are your recruiting & hiring goals for the year?

Check out more hiring & recruiting resources HERE.